LIBRARY OF CONGRESS. 



slle]r.„TS^_<^(o^. 



UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. 




MADAME DE KEMUSAT. 



A SELECTION 



FliOM THE 



LETTERS OF MADAME DE REMUSAT 

TO HER HUSBAND AND SON, 
FROM 1804 TO 1813. 



zl 



FROM THE FREN^CH BY 

MRS. CASHEL fSlOEY AND '-MR. JOHN LILLIE. 
I- 









NEW YORK: 
D. APPLETON AND COMPANY, 

1, 3, AND 5 BOND STREET. 

1881. 



c% 






COPYRIGHT BY 

JOHN LILLIE. 

1881. 



Tfl£ LiBJuar 
or coKORi^s 

[WASKlNOTOir 



PKEFACE. 



Fifteen years ago my father wrote, on tlie cover of 
the first packet of his mother's letters which he had col- 
lected, the following words : 

"1 had always promised myself that I would write a 
' Life ' of my mother ; but I now think it will be enough 
that I should leave all her writings in a condition to be 
published. I have just re-read her letters. Only once, 
and that thirty years ago, had I perused the entire series. 
Occasionally I read a few of them, but I always adjourned 
the task to which I am now setting myself. By fulfilling 
this task, by arranging this rich correspondence, and throw- 
ing fresh light on it by the aid of other documents, I 
am preparing a collection for publication, and raising to 
my mother's memory the monument most worthy of her. 
I am not sure that her Letters will not do her even more 
honor, in certain respects, than her Memoirs, which have 
been so highly appreciated by all who have read them." 

My father's death, or rather, I should say, his life, his 
cares, his labors, and the noble efforts which distinguished 
his later years, prevented him from carrying out his pur- 
pose, and I am under the necessity of terminating singly 
the work which we commenced jointly. The classification 



iv PREFA GE. 

of the Letters was, however, finished during my father's 
lifetime, and this necessary detail was a difficult one, 
for, in most instances, the date of the month or year is 
missing. 

In the introduction to the Memoirs of my grandmother 
I have related all that was known to me of her life and 
her feelings. Without recapitulating what has been already 
given to the public on those subjects, I think it well, in 
order to avoid encumbering the text with over-numerous 
notes, that I should set down here a few details, and certain 
dates, that are necessary to enable the reader to understand 
the references made to persons and events in the Letters 
which follow. 

Claire Elisabeth Jeanne Gravier de Vergennes was born 
on the 6th of January, 1780. Her father, who had been 
Intendant, was Master of Requests when the Revolution 
broke out. He was the son of the Marquis de Yergennes, 
Swedish ambassador, and brother of the Minister. His 
mother, Adelaide de Bastard, was the daughter of a Coun- 
cilor of State, formerly President of the Parliament of 
Toulouse, and Chancellor to the Comte d'Artois. M. de 
Yergennes, his father, beheld the Revolution without en- 
thusiasm, but without displeasure. He was chef de hatail- 
lon in the National Guard, and a member of the Council of 
the Commune in 1789. He died on the scaffold with his 
father, a few days before the 9th Thermidor. At the be- 
ginning of the Revolution he had bouglit the estate of Ste. 
Gratien, in the Yalley of Montmorency. Thither Mme. de 
Yergennes retired, and there she conducted the education 
of her daughters : Claire, who became Mme. de Remusat, 
and Alix, who, somewhat later, married M. de Nansouty. 



PREFACE. V 

Augustine Laurent de Reniusat, born in 1762, was, prior 
to 1Y89, Advocate-General at, tlie Cour des Comptes, and 
to the " aides " of Provence. After the abolition of the 
sovereign courts, he was delegated to Paris by his company, 
to treat for them in matters affecting their interests. He 
remained there Avhen the times became seriously troubled. 
He was more secure in that great city, where he was un- 
known, than at Aix. There he had known M. de Yer- 
gennes, he had been received at his house, and the ties 
which bound him to the family were but strengthened by 
the death of M. de Yergennes, when his widow, with her 
two daughters, and charged with difScult business matters, 
stood in great need of his advice and society. He was 
constantly at Ste. Gratien, and he soon became attached to 
the eldest girl, Claire or Clary, who returned his affection, 
and whom he married when she was sixteen years old, in 
Pluviose, year lY., or February, 1796. 

The two children born of this marriage were Charles 
Prangois Marie de Pemusat, born the 24th Yentose, year Y. 
(March 14, 1797), and Albert Dominique de Pemusat, born 
the 11th Primaire, year X. (December 2, 1801). We know 
what the eldest was. The second, four years younger, was 
what is called " rickety " ; in his infancy he was puny, and 
his development was very slow; and yet in his childhood 
he showed no positive deficiency, beyond a general tardiness 
of development. He was a little deaf, but he could hear ; 
he articulated badly, but he could speak ; he was slower 
than other children, but he used to do almost all that any 
child two or three years younger would have done. He 
continued to progress in this degree for a long time; but 
his infirmities increased little by little, and he remained 



vi PREFACE. 

always a child. The devotion of his mother never flagged, 
and she made it her special task to give him help toward all 
the development he was capable of. It is well known that 
a mother is equally fond of the son who from his birth is 
her joy and pride, and of the one who can inspire only a 
melancholy pity. By untiring attention she cherished and 
kept alive the flickering flame in the fragile vessel; she 
taught him to read, to write, to count, and even to draw a 
little ; but she could never lead his intelligence beyond the 
stage of childhood, though he seemed to understand clearly 
that he had fellow-creatures better endowed than he by 
nature, especially his brother, whom he loved, or rather 
whom he revered, and who continued his tender care of 
him until 1830, when this poor young man, this poor child, 
died, 

Jeanne Frangoise Adelaide Gravier de Yergennes, the 
second daughter of Mme. de Yergennes, born the 30th of 
March, 1781, married, when very young, M. de ISTansouty, 
general of cavalry. He served with distinction under the 
Empire, and died in 1815, at the age of forty-seven, leaving 
one son, Stephen de Nansouty, who was born the 27tli Mes- 
sidor, year XI. (July 16, 1803), and died in 1865. Mme. 
de Nansouty died in 1850, outliving her sister by nearly 
thirty years, so that it was possible for me to know her. 
She was a clever woman, energetic and brusque, and 
reminded my father strongly of his grandmother, Mme. 
de Yergennes. 

M. de Remusat became Prefect and Mme. de Remusat 
Lady of the Palace, respectively, in 1802 ; the former was 
afterward Chamberlain and Superintendent of Plays. He 
remained at Court until 1814, alternately in favor and dis- 



PREFACE. vii 

favor, mucli the same as M. de Talleyrand. Mj grand- 
mother accompanied the Empress Josephine in her retire- 
ment, and rarely saw the Emperor after the divorce. Under 
the Restoration, her husband was made Prefect, and she 
was with him while he served at Toulouse and Lille. She 
died in December, 1821. 

Her life may be divided into three periods. Of the first, 
previous to her marriage and up to the time of her appear- 
ance at the Court of Bonaparte, there remain but sliglit 
traces — a few stray notes and some youthful comiDOsitions 
not worth publishing ; they afford indications of quickness 
and cultivation rather than talent. Her Memoirs give an 
account of the early years of her life, as well as those of the 
second period, after her entrance at Court. I have no let- 
ters of this period in my possession ; they were not pre- 
served in the family, for Mme. de Yergennes was in the 
habit of burning those she got, and Mme. de Eemusat was 
at that time seldom away from her husband. She went 
with him to Belgium, and the same year followed him to 
Boulogne, as already described in the Memoirs. The earli- 
est letters now collected date from the summer of 1804. 
The Empire was then decided upon, the Due d'Enghien 
had been shot, and they were only waiting for the Pope 
and the coronation. Between the months of August and 
October the Emperor and Empress paid a visit to the Ehine ; 
and it was at that time the letters found at the beginning of 
the following collection were written. 

I must not abuse the privileges of an editor, nor overpass 
the liberties of a writer of prefaces, by describing this jour- 
ney, and one made the following year in Italy, where the 
Emperor went to~ possess himself of another crown, taking 



viii PREFACE. 

with liim all the pomp of a Court, all the attributes of royal 
state and conquest. It was, in fact, a real Court, with its 
wearing routine, its cares, and all the false reports, inevitable 
imprudences, and demands for caution, of Court life. If 
the reader remembers the description in the Memoirs, he 
will readily picture to himself the situation of the First 
Chamberlain, an odd enough sort of courtier ; for he was a 
man particularly fond of peace and quietness, of books, and 
of the gentle ties of home life, but obliged to devote endless 
labor to the preparation of novel and splendid /e^^^s, keeping 
up with all the demands of an imperious Court, and the 
rivalries of vanity and ambition. His wife, one of the La- 
dies of the Palace, a woman of sterling principle, of elevated 
and romantic sentiment, looking upon the constraints of 
Court life as sad inflictions when they came into conflict 
with her affections, putting everything to the test, and ex- 
pressing her opinions with earnest zeal and sincerity, was 
condemned to strive for peace and happiness amidst all the 
distractions of a career of frivolous dignity. 

It would need a Sainte-Beuve to describe these con- 
trasts and develop their consequences. To intelligently 
appreciate this correspondence one must enter thoroughly 
into it, and not place one's self in the elevated sphere 
of pure philosophy which permits the sacrifice of all to 
the reason and the heart, nor in the region of mere actual 
interests, where everything tends to the egotism of self-love 
or cupidity. 

At this second period of her life she was for a long time 
separated from her husband, who had to accompany the 
Emperor. A little later she was herself obliged to travel 
with the Empress, and for her own health. This book is 



PREFACE. ix 

made up from the letters she wrote to her beloved husband 
at this time. Such a correspondence is necessarily monot- 
onous ; in spite of a great diversity of traveling and of ideas, 
the same expressions frequently recur. Possibly the tender 
effusions may appear a little too frequent and detailed, and 
the domestic affection may not possess the flavor of a ro- 
mance, but it is necessary to preserve the true character of 
the letters, and the repetition, and even reiteration of senti- 
ment, have a charm of their own. In no way could the 
warmth of heart, the intelligence, and the resources of the 
writer be better displayed than by her expression, so earnest, 
so constant, so deliberate, so ingenuous, of a passion which 
seemed to have nothing romantic about it. 

The third period of my grandmother's life extends from 
1815 to 1821, from the close of the Empire to her death. 
A new Government had come in ; new ideas, or rather old 
ones resuscitated from 1YS9, fired the nation, and particu- 
larly the leading spirits. Liberal opinions, scarcely dreamed 
of under the Empire, suddenly came into being under the 
force of circumstances, and the author of the Memoirs was 
fitted by nature to understand them. Moreover, a new 
influence sprung up close beside her, an element that was 
zealous, impassioned, all-powerful with her — her son, whose 
youth fulfilled all the promise of his childhood. So a new 
correspondence was begun, which proved even richer than 
the first one. Her husband received, after the Eestoration, 
a position better suited to his tastes. She was no longer 
separated from him; but with her son, now a student at 
Paris, she opened a correspondence upon politics and so- 
ciety, which gives the most original and truthful picture of 
the time — a time about which France has not yet lost 



X PREFACE. 

interest, and to wbicli the liberal party, still in sliadow, 
has always referred its origin. 

We shall concern ourselves here only with the first part 
of this correspondence, and with the letters of the wife to 
her husband during the glorious but ill-omened days of 
absolute power. It is possible, and indeed probable, that 
the reader will not find here what he is looking for — a new 
volume of the Memoirs, with bolder expression of political 
opinions, or piquant revelations. Some, perhaps, will be 
disappointed to find only the loving utterances of a good 
and true woman about her husband and children. Her 
opinions of the Emperor and the Empire, which we have 
seen expressed in the Memoirs, were formed after the pass- 
ing of time. Like all other French people, she was carried 
away by the splendid achievements of the First Consul 
and by his genius. She was grateful for the great calm 
which followed the excitement of the French Revolution. 
She had no prejudices or ill-will against the Empire; her 
principles were neither Royalist nor Republican ; but it is 
only fair to add that, even if her innermost feelings had 
protested against this dearly-bought glory, she would never 
have put the thought into words. Her letters were written 
with the greatest reserve as to what went on at the Court 
and in politics. Under the Empire, letters were tacitly 
considered to be sent open, and subject to the Emperor's 
personal inspection. We shall observe more than one proof 
of this further on, and it is well known that this abuse, 
"this cowardly abuse," as Beranger calls it, was handed 
down by the uncle to his nephew, for there was found on 
the 4th of September, 1870, in the cabinet of the Emperor 
Napoleon III., the copy of a letter written by my mother 



PREFACE. xi 

to my father a few days before.* Care was therefore taken 
to avoid offending so powerful and irritable a personage. 
Hence the reticence and the omissions of this corresj^ond- 
ence, the occasional reflections made on purpose, and in 
reality addressed to him under whose stern and severe 
observation those lines, written in the intimate confidence 
of two persons between whom there were no concealments, 
might fall. Passages of this kind are, however, few, and it 
would not be just to commend the foresight of the writer 
at the expense of her sincerity. 

The political interest of this correspondence is not its 
strongest point, and the sentiments of the Lady-in-"Waiting 
are not exactly those of the author of the Memoirs writ- 
ten in 1818, and yet, will the effect of those Memoirs be 
weakened to any extent by this new publication? I do 
not think so; and, however strong my wish might be to 
augment the intellectual fame of those so near to myself, 
I would not sacrifice to that desire the cause which v/e 
have all tried to serve. But these letters will have just 
the contrary effect. The life of the Court or the capital, 
as described in them, can not inspire any regret for the 
regiTne that rendered that life so troubled, precarious, and 
unhappy. N'ever has sounder proof been afforded that 
the epoch was profoundly agitated, that absolute govern- 
ment is the most unstable of all, that its greatness was 
only in appearance, while every one believed while it 
lasted that France was a mere gambler's stake, at the 
mercy of the hazard of the die. Kever did good patriots 
suffer more painful apprehensions for the destinies of their 

* " Papiers Trouves aux Tuileries," etc., premiere livraison in 8yo. Paris, 
Imprimerie Nationale, ISVO, 



xii PREFACE. 

country, for the very existence of France; never were 
wives and mothers so racked with fear for their husbands 
or their sons, as while the fate of all the men in France 
depended on the most terrible consumer of human lives 
that the world has ever known. What are the troubles 
of parliamentary government, debates in the Chambers, 
electoral contests, and changes of ministry, in comparison 
with perils and emotions such as those of that period ! 

It is needless to say that the text of the letters and 
the opinions of the writer have been scrupulously respected. 
Certain omissions have been thought advisable, but the 
passages left out refer only to money troubles, which 
would not interest the reader, to details of health, the 
shortcomings of the post, and the badness of the roads, or 
they contain repetitions of the feeling that pervades the 
whole, which are suppressed, lest they should prove weari- 
some. Enough has been left to show that communica- 
tions were difficult, that the much-envied position of the 
great functionaries of the Empire included many trials, 
and that the health of this active and passionate woman 
was always uncertain, so that her life in the world and in 
her own heart was a checkered one, and those who loved 
her were kept in constant anxiety about her. Lastly, I 
have thought it well to suppress the greater part of the 
passages that relate to her younger son, Albert, her care 
of him, and her efforts to develop and instruct him. This 
topic also would not possess interest for the public, al- 
though it is right that they should know that her afflicted 
child was the object of her unremitting attention. I shall 
be forgiven for having retained all that concerned her el- 
dest son, Charles, with its testimony to the lavish and ex- 



PREFACE. xiii 

quisite tenderness of her affection for him. May I ven- 
ture to add that it has been very sweet to me thus to 
unite, by a common admiration, a common passion, the 
first and the last affection of my father; the mother who 
rejoiced in his first smile, the son who received his last 

look. 

Paul de E-emusat. 



miRODUCTORY NOTE BY THE TRANSLATORS. 



In his preface to tlie " Letters of Mme. de Eemusat,'' 
her grandson, M. Paul de Remusat, addressing French 
readers, has explained his reasons for publishing in their en- 
tirety a number of letters containing only repetitions of the 
writer's sentiments of conjugal affection, and complaints of 
the pain inflicted upon her by the frequent separation from 
her husband that inevitably resulted from the position of M. 
de Remusat in the household of the Emperor ITapoleon I. 

In preparing a translation of the "Letters of Mme. de 
Remusat" for English readers, it has been thought advisa- 
ble to select from among the whole those that possess in- 
terest of a more general kind. 

The letters chosen with this view depict the social 
aspects of the time (from 1804: to 1813), give an idea of the 
condition of the capital during the frequently recurring 
periods of the absence of the Court, and narrate the inci- 
dents of the writer's attendance, at different periods subse- 
quent to the divorce, upon the Empress Josephine. 

It will be remembered that the "Memoirs of Mme. de 
Remusat " came to an abrupt conclusion wath a deeply inter- 
esting account of the noble conduct of the Empress Jose- 
phine on the occasion of the divorce, and a sketch of the 



xvi • INTRODUCTORY NOTE. 

proceedings of tlie Emperor Napoleon I. with regard to 
Spain, in whicli the fatahty that attended his action is 
already foreshadowed. The letters do not deal with the 
political and military events whicli ensued ; they are essen- 
tially intimes ^ their interest is of a different order. That 
interest is, however, of a striking and novel kind, and can 
not fail to be appreciated by those readers who have fol- 
lowed with avidity the marvelous history of that glory of 
the French arms abroad, which was destined to be so eva- 
nescent, but who have hitherto had little opportunity of ob- 
taining an insight into the history of the interior of France. 
These letters will show them Paris at home, in low spirits 
and financial difficulties, pervaded by the dull discontent of 
a people in a state of constant suspense, and the Court, no 
longer brightened by the presence of the sweet and gentle 
Josephine, oppressed with gloom, and daunted by the 
morose temper of a harsh master, whose luck had begun to 
turn. 

In selecting from among the "Letters of Mme. de 
Remusat" those which they believe likely to have the 
greatest interest for English readers, the translators have 
been careful to retain a number of passages which strikingly 
illustrate the characteristic qualities of the writer ; qualities 
on which M. Charles de Remusat has dwelt, in his preface 
to his mother's Memoirs, with profound filial affection, and 
which M. Paul de Pemusat commemorates, in his preface to 
his grandmother's Letters, with just pride. 



CONTENTS. 



I. To M. de Eemusat at Aix-la-Chapelle 
II. To M. de Remusat at Aix-la-Chapelle 

III. To M. de Remusat at Aix-la-Chapelle 

IV. To M. de Remusat at Aix-la-Chapelle 
V. To M. de Remusat at Aix-la-Chapelle 

VI. To M. de Remusat at Mayence 

VII. To M. de Remusat at Mayence 

VIII. To M. de Remusat at Mayence 

IX. To M. de Remusat at Mayence 

X. To M. de Remusat at Mayence 

XI. To M. de Remusat at Vesoul 

XII. To M. de Remusat at Milan . 

XIII. To M. de Remusat at Milan 

XIV. To M. de Remusat at Milan . 
XV. To M. de Remusat at Milan 

XVI. To M. de Remusat at Milan . 

XVII. To M. de Remusat at Milan 

XVIII. To M. de Remusat at Milan . 

XIX. To M. de Remusat at Milan 

XX. To M. de Remusat at Milan . 

XXI. To M. de Remusat at Milan 

XXIX. To M. de Remusat at Milan . 

XXX. To M. de Remusat at Milan 

XXXIII. To M. de Remusat at Milan . 

XXXIV. To M. de Remusat at Milan 
XXXV. To M. de Remusat at Milan 

XXXVII. To M. de Remusat at Milan 

XXXVIII. To M. de Remusat at Milan 
XL. To M. de Remusat at Milan 

XLI. To M. de Remusat at Milan 
XLII. To M. de Remusat at Milan 



PAGE 
1 

6 

. 8 

11 

. 13 

. 19 

23 
. 25 

26 
. 28 

30 
. 33 

35 
. 3Y 

39 
. 41 

42 
. 44 

47 
. 48 

50 
. 54 

51 
. 59 

60 
. 62 

63 
. 67 

69 
. 72 



XVIU 



CONTENTS. 



LETTER PAGE 

XLIII. To M. de Remusat at Milan .'..... 74 

XLIV. To M. de Remusat at Milan . . • 75 

XLV. To M. de Remusat at Milan 78 

XLVI. To M. de Remusat at Milan 82 

XLVII. To M. de Remusat at Strasburg 83 

XLVIII. To M. de Remusat at Strasburg 87 

XLIX. To M. de Remusat at Strasburg 90 

L. To M. de Remusat at Strasburg 92 

LI. To M. de Remusat at Strasburg 96 

LII. To M. de Remusat at Strasburg 98 

LIII. To M. de Remusat at Strasburg 100 

LIV. To M. de Remusat at Strasburg 104 

LV. To M. de Remusat at Strasburg 106 

LVI. To M. de Remusat at Strasburg 108 

LVII. To M, de Remusat at Strasburg 110 

LVIIT. To M, de Remusat at Strasburg 113 

LIX. To M. de Remusat at Strasburg 114 

LX. To M. de Remusat at Strasburg 115 

LXI. To M. de Remusat at Strasburg 116 

LXII. To M. de Remusat at Strasburg 117 

LXIII. To M. de Remusat at Strasburg 119 

LXIV. To M. de Remusat at Strasburg . . . . . .122 

LXV. To M. de Remusat at Strasburg 123 

LXVI. To M. de Remusat at Strasburg 125 

LXVII. To M. de Remusat at Strasburg 126 

LXVIII. To M. de Remusat at Strasburg 129 

LXIX. To M. de Remusat at Strasburg 129 

LXX. To M. de Remusat at Strasburg 132 

LXXI. To M. de Remusat at Strasburg 134 

LXXII. To M. de Remusat at Strasburg .....! 135 

LXXIII. To M. de Remusat at Strasburg . . . . . .138 

LXXIV. To M. de Remusat at Strasburg 139 

LXXV. To M. de Remusat at Strasburg 143 

LXXVI. To M. de Remusat at Strasburg 145 

LXXVITI. To M. de Remusat at Vienna 147 

LXXIX. To M. de Remusat at Vienna 149 

LXXX. To M. do Remusat at Vienna 150 

LXXXI. To M. de Remusat at Vienna 153 

LXXXII. To M. de Remusat at Vienna 154 

LXXXIir. To M. de Remusat at Vienna .158 

LXXXI V. To M. de Remusat at Vienna 162 

LXXXV. To M. de Remusat at Vienna 165 

LXXXVL To M. de Remusat at Mayence 168 

LXXXVIT. To Af. de Remusat at Mayence ...... 170 



CONTENTS. 



XIX 



LETTER 

LXXXVIII. 

xo. 

XCI. 

XCII. 

XCIII. 

XCIV. 

xcv. 

XCVI. 

XCVII. 

XCVIII. 

XCIX. 

c. 

CI. 
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cm. 

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cv. 

CVI. 

evil. 

CIX. 

ex. 

CXI. 

CXXIX. 

CXXX. 

CXXXIV. 

cxxxv. 

CXXXVI. 

CXXXIX. 

CXL. 

CXLI. 

CXLII. 

CXLIII. 

CXLIV. 

CXLV. 

CXLVI. 

CXLVII. 

CXL VIII. 

CXLIX. 

CL. 

CLI. 

CLII. 

CLIII. 

CLIV. 

CLV. 



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To M. 



de Remusat 
de Remusat 
de Remusat 
de Remusat 
de Remusat 
de Remusat 
de Remusat 
de Remusat 
de Remusat 
de Remusat 
de Remusat 
de Remusat 
de Remusat 
de Remusat 
de Remusat 
de Remusat 
de Remusat 
de Remusat 
de Remusat 
de Remusat 
de Remusat 
de Remusat 
de Remusat 
de Remusat 
de Remusat 
de Remusat 
de Remusat 
de Remusat 
de Remusat 
de Remusat 
de Remusat 
de Remusat 
de Remusat 
de Remusat 
de Remusat 
de Remusat 
de Remusat 
de Remusat 
de Remusat 
de Remusat 
de Remusat 
de Remusat 
de Remusat 
de Remusat 



at Mayence 
at Mayence 
at Mayence 
at Mayence 
at Mayence 
at Mayence 
at Mayence 
at Mayence 
at Mayence 
at Mayence 
at Mayence 
at Mayence 
at Mayence 
at Mayence 
at Mayence 
at Mayence 
at Mayence 
at Mayence 
at Mayence 
at Mayence 
at Mayence 
at Mayencfe 
at Paris 
at Paris 
at St. Cloud 
at Paris 
at Paris 
at Paris 
at Paris 
at Paris 
at Paris 
at Erf iirth 
at Erfiirth . 
at Erfiirth 
at Erfiirth . 
at Erfiirth 
at Fontainebleau 
at Trianon 
at Trianon . 
at Trianon 
at CompiSgne 
at Compiegne 
at Compiegne 
at Compiegne 



XX 



CONTENTS. 



LETTER PAGE 

CLVI. To M. de Remusat at Compiegne 252 

CLVII. To M. de Remusat at Compiegne 254 

CLVIII. To M. de Remusat at Paris 255 

CLX. To M. de Remusat at Paris 257 

CLXI. To M. de Remusat at Paris 259 

CLXII. To M. de Remusat at Paris 260 

CLXIII. To M. de Remusat at Paris 260 

CLXIV. To M. de Remusat at Paris 262 

CLXV. To M. de Remusat at Paris 263 

CLXVI. To M. de Remusat at Paris 263 

CLXVII. To M. de Remusat at Paris 205 

CLXVIII. To M. de Remusat at Paris 267 

CLXIX. To M. de Remusat at Paris 268 

CLXX. To M. de Remusat at Paris 269 

CLXXII. To M. de Remusat at Paris 270 

CLXXIII. To M. de Remusat at Paris 271 

CLXXIV. To M. de Remusat at Paris 273 

CLXXV. To M. de Remusat at Ram bouillet 273 

CLXXVI. To M. de Remusat at Fontainebleau .... 275 

CLXXVII. To M. do Remusat at Fontainebleau . , , . . .276 

CLXXVIII. To M. de Remusat at Fontainebleau .... 278 

CLXXIX, To M. de Remusat at- Paris • 280 

CLXXX. To M. de Remusat at Paris 283 

CLXXXI. To M. de Remusat at Paris 286 

CLXXXII. To M. de Remusat at Paris 286 

CLXXXIII. To M. de Remusat at Paris 289 

CLXXXI V. To M. de Remusat at Paris 290 

CLXXXV. To M. de Remusat at Paris 292 

CLXXXVI. To M. de Remusat at Paris 295 

CLXXXVII. To M. de Remusat at Paris 296 

CLXXXVIII. To M. de Remusat at Paris 299 

CLXXXIX. To M. de Remusat at Paris 303 

CXC. To Mme. de Remusat's son Charles at Paris . . . 306 

CXCI. To M. de Remusat at Paris 309 

CXCII. To Mme. de Remusat's son Charles at Paris . . . 310 

CXCIII. To Mme. de Remusat's son Charles at Paris . . .313 

CXCV. To M. de Remusat at Paris 316 

CXC VI. Charies de Remusat to Mme. de Remusat at Vichy . .318 

CXCVII. To M. de Remusat at Paris 321 



LETTERS OF 

MADAME DE REMUSAT. 

I. 

TO M. DE REMUSAT, AT AIX-LA-CHAPELLE. 

Paris, 10 Frudidor, Year XII. 

{Tuesday, August 28, ISO4.) 

Thanks for your little note from Pont St. Maxence.* It 
was an agreeable surprise, for I had not hoped to hear from 
you so soon. We are rejoicing over your splendid weather ; 
I wish from my heart that this journey might be all enjoy- 
ment for you, and that I could take as my share the annoy- 
ances and the ennui you must needs experience. Take care 
of your health, avoid over-fatigue, and try to amuse your- 
self ; I want to think that you are happy. Write whenever 
you are able, and tell me how you are received. I saw Cor- 
visartf yesterday, on his return from Aix-la-Chapelle ; he 
wondered he had not come across you on his journey ; it is 
true that he traveled post-haste night and day. He told me 

* M. de Remusat was on his way to join the Empress at Aix-la-Chapelle, in 
order to accompany the Emperor on his progress through the Rhine Provinces. 
The Empire had been established, but the Imperial household was not yet formed. 
The coronation was not to take place until December. The Emperor did not re- 
turn to St. Cloud until October 12, 1804 (20 Vendemiaire, Year XIII.). Pont 
St. Maxence is the chief place of a canton in the department of the Oisc, and 
was formerly a post-town. 

\ Corvisart was a friend of Mme. do Remusat, and her physician. 
1 



2 LETTERS OF MADAME BE R^MUSAT. 

that the roads are bad tlie other side of Liege ; you will be 
traveling over them to-morrow, and I shall be jolted all day- 
long. Pray be very prudent ; remember to how many per- 
sons you are necessary, and that to me life would be nothing 
without you. 

On Sunday I went to 2i.fete at M. de Yalence's,'^ where I 
met Madame de Montesson ; Lavalette f was there too, and I 
questioned him closely about the state of the roads. I can 
not say he relieved my mind, and those wretched Rhine roads 
are always before me. By-the-by, although I felt bored and 
out of spirits at tliis^e^^, I could not help smiling a moment 
at the thought of your expression of countenance, if in the 
midst of the verses addressed by the actors of the Comedie 
Frangaise to Mme. de Valence, and to Mme. de Montesson 
and all her family, you could have heard Mile. Emilie Contat :|: 
singing the praises of the Prefect, and informing you in 
very second-rate meter that one must not be surprised at 
meeting with a Maecenas in the reign of an Augustus. All 
the company present were very gracious toward us and ap- 
plauded warmly. Tears came to my eyes, and I embraced 
Mile. Contat. The verses might be poor stuff, but they 
were -about you, and harmonized with my secret thoughts. 
I dined yesterday at Mme. de Souza's,* to meet the Corps 

* General de Valence had married the daughter of Mme. de Genlis. He was 
distantly related to Mme. de Montesson, the widow of the Duke of Orleans, who 
was grandfather to Louis Philippe. 

f M. de Lavalette, Director-General of the Post. 

X The name of Contat has been borne by three actresses of unequal celebrity. 
The first, Louise Contat, who was born in 1*760 and died in 1813, took the roles 
of the grandes Coquettes, and in 1V84 created the part of Susan in the " Mariage 
de Figaro." Her sister, Emilie Contat, mentioned above, was born in 1784, and 
died in 1846. For thirty years she played the soubreites at the Theatre Fran9ais 
with the greatest success. Her niece, Anialrie Contat, acted the same parts, but 
made no mark. The Prefect alluded to is, of course, M. de Eerausat, Prefect of 
the Palace. 

* Mme. de Souza, previously Mme. de Flahault, is known as the author of 
some successful novels. She was pretty, clever, and rather scheming. Her 
father was an official, and she had been married, first, to M. de Labillarderie de 



CHARLES AND ALBERT. 3 

Diplomatique. The poor ambassadress was anxious and dis- 
tressed. Slie implored me to tell you what occurred; you 
will notice it or not, as you think fit. She invited Mme. 
and M. de Talleyrand to dinner. The former declined at 
once. He made no reply until Monday morning, when he 
sent word that, having some guests dining at his own house, 
he could not accept her invitation. Mme. de Souza knows 
as a fact that he specially invited his company. This throw- 
ing down of the gauntlet, as it were, is the first incivility 
he has ventured on in public, and she is consequently ex- 
cessively annoyed. When I parted from her she was bent 
on writing to the Emperor. She probably hopes that you 
will mention the affair ; do as you like about this. I have 
just heard that your minister is to join you at Aix. Every- 
thing indicates that this Court journey will be a long one. 
General Murat thinks that the Empress will not be allowed 
to accompany the Emperor, and that the latter will only re- 
turn here a short time before the coronation. But surely 
your services will be required at the same time, and could 
you not point this out ? 

I inclose a letter for the Empress, and one for you from 
Charles,* who shed tears on reading your message to him. 
He is tenderly attached to you, and I love him the more for 
it. He prefers you to every one ; and he is right, for you 
are very lovable, and my happiness is great when by your 
side. Our little Albert f is better. You may be sure that 

Flahault, and afterward to M. de Souza, a distinguished and honorable Portu- 
guese, who represented his country as ambassador to France. Her intimacy 
with Mme. de Remusat was increased by the fact that both ladies resided very 
near each other in the Rue du Marche d'Aguesseau. She survived her husband 
and passed her old age in penury, partly occasioned by her passion for lotteries. 

* My father, Charles rran9ois Marie de Remusat, was born on March 14, 
1797. He was at this time seven years old. 

•f- Albert de Remusat, Mme. de Remusat's second son, was born in 1802. 
Neither mind nor body ever attained a full development. He died in 1830, at 
the age of eight-and-twenty, but with the appearance of a sickly child of ten 
or twelve. As I have stated in the Preface to this work, I have suppressed 



4 LETTERS OF MADAME BE RtMUSAT. 

he knows where you are, and says, ^'■Papa is gone awayP 
Alas ! yes, lie is gone, and I must not look as yet for his re- 
turn ; it seems so far off that I can not think of it without 
tears. How hard it is to be separated, when we are so happy 
together! But since it must be so, let us try to arrange 
matters in such a way that we need not part again. I feel a 
sweet conviction that, after this period of storms and agita- 
tion, our remaining years will pass calmly away, and that our 
life will be peaceful and happy. I picture to myself a pretty 
place in the country, where we could educate our children ; 
a kind and beloved friend, wliose side I should scarcely ever 
leave ; and la cava liherta. How delicious ! Let us labor 
for so sweet a future, and I possess already the surest guai-an- 
tee of the happiness I anticipate, if you will only take good 
care of yourself. Adieu. My mother and Alix* embrace 
you. 

Wednesday^ 11 Fruclidor. 

Don't forget poor Mme. de Grasse f and little D'Houde- 
t6t.:j: Give me an answer also about Latouche-Treville's let- 
most of those passages in the Letters in which his mother refers to him and 
speaks of her anxiety on account of his weak state of health. She was as much 
engrossed by his unfortunate condition as by the brilliant promise of her elder 
son. But it seems to me that public attention should rather be called to the 
latter. 

* Alix de Vergennes, the sister of Mme. de Eemusat, had married General 
de Nansouty. 

f Mme. de Grasse, whose maiden name was also De Grasse, was the wife of 
an emigre. She had only recently come to Paris with an introduction to my 
grandmother, who received her kindly, and afterward became her friend. She 
was petitioning for the restoration of some property confiscated during the 
Revolution. Although a strong Royalist, she wished for an appointment as Page 
for her eldest son. He did not, however, obtain it, and entered the army through 
the school of St. Cyr. He was lieutenant-colonel of dragoons in 1830, and sent 
in his resignation. He and my father were comrades throughout all their youth, 
and more especially in childhood, and their friendship only ceased at my father's 
death in 1860. 

\ This little D'Houdetot is Henri d'Houdetot, a grandson of Mme. d'Houdctot. 
He wished to be a Page, and died in the army. 



31. DE SOUZA. 5 

tcr, for M. de Yilleblanche's * mother wants to take the op- 
portunity of Avriting directly to the Emperor whicli their 
misfortune affords. 



11. 



TO M. DE REMUSAT, AT ATX-LA-CHAPELLE. 

Paris, Z^ Frudidor^ Year XII. 

{Saturday, September 1, ISO4.) 

Mon ami., to-day is Saturday. I awoke sad, remember- 
ing that it is a week since you left me, and that I must not 
count the days if I wish to bear the remainder of your ab- 
sence patiently. My grief is increased by just a little anxiety, 
which will, I hope, have been removed by the time you re- 
ceive this letter, as I shall then have had one from you. I 
am expecting to hear from you to-morrow about that wretched 
road from Liege to Aix-la-Chapelle, that Corvisart says is so 
dreadfully bad. He told me you would have to get out of 
the carriage and walk, and I fear that perhaps you did not do 
so. Perhaps you have forgotten the journey that engrosses 
my thoughts and are ready for another. For my sake and 
your own, pray be careful. You w^ill see M. de Souza to- 
day, the 14th ; he is to present his letters of credit ; gloomily 
enough, I fancy. Between ourselves, he dislikes M. de Tal- 
leyrand, and is quite inclined to take leave of us. His wife 
is very anxious, and begs you will not mention what I wrote 
to you at her request, because she has changed her mind on 
the subject. She begs only that you will let me know what 
sort of reception M. de Souza has met with, and whether any 

* The mother cf our cousin, the ruined emigre, M. de Villeblanclie, had mar- 
ried Latouche-Treviile. The admiral of that name had just died at Toulon, 
where he was in command of the fleet, which was afterward put under the orders 
of Villencuve and beaten at Trafalgar. 



6 LETTERS OF MADAME DE RJ&MUSAT. 

gracious expressions have been bestowed on liira, or all have 
been reserved for M. de Lima.* 

You will also tell me, for mj own information, whether 
you were satisfied with your reception, whether the Empress 
spoke of me, whether she still likes me, and was glad to see 
you ; and I will tell you that Charles is well, and Albert much 
as usual. This is all my news, for I have not been out for 
a week ; I have been rather unwell and have nursed myself. 
To-day, however, I mean to throw off my laziness, and pay a 
visit to Cambaceres ; then I shall return to a home which is 
dull to me now, and go to bed early. My mother says 
I am very tiresome, and she is right ; at the beginning of 
a separation one feels acutely how easy it is to become ac- 
customed to happiness. When we are happy, we enjoy our 
blessings as a matter of couree; our days slip by and we 
do not appreciate them ; we are spendthrifts, and set no 
value on our possessions. But when happiness departs, 
then we discover its height and depth by the weariness 
and sorrow to which it leaves us. This is my experience ; 
and I reproach myself when I have lost you for not hav- 
ing oftener remembered what happiness it was to pass my 
life at your side. 

What else can I tell you ? I know nothing, and there is 
no news except that there is some grumbling at the altera- 
tion of the coinage. As I have just finished reading Daniel, f 
I shuddered at the repetition of a measure which occasioned 
so many troubles to Philippe le Bel, but we have progressed 
in our education since those days. There will be some clamor 
and nothing more. 

I have seen Mme. de Grasse, who, on her knees, asks for 

* Mme. de Souza feared that M. de Talleyrand's enmity might cause her hus- 
band to lose his post as Portuguese ambassador to Paris ; and in fact this oc- 
curred. 

f Father Daniel, a Jesuit, born in 1649, was the author of a History of 
France in seventeen volumes. He published an abridged edition in nine small 
volumes. The work is little read at the present day. 



PETITION TO TEE "-PREFECT:' 7 

your good offices, and Mme. Parseval-Deschenes,"^ who begs 
you to mention lier son to the successor of Latouche-Treville 
as soon as he is ap]3ointed, if you have an opportunity, direct 
or indirect, of doing so. Give me an answer about M. de 
Yilleblanche. Every one in Paris considers M. de Cercey the 
only suitable person for the place. Meanwhile he has gone 
to Nantes to join his ship. 

You will let me know if you are soon about to start off 
again, and whether I am to send my letters through the post, 
or to Maret's. I saw M. de yesterday. His daughter- 
in-law has arrived in a pitiable state ; she has constant con- 
vulsions, and causes great anxiety to her family. Alas ! what 
is life to her now, and why do they wish her to retain it ? 

Adieu. I am ashamed of the pctqfes f I have written, 
but I am too melancholy to be pleasant ; I can think of no- 
thing but that horrid road, and I am longing for a letter to 
set me at ease. I am writing to Deschamps, X because I want 
him to write to me about you. Adieu ; I love you, now and 
always. M. Bertrand * desires to be remembered to you. 

Pray ask M. de Talleyrand if he ever regrets his former 
traveling companions, and remind him that he promised ac- 
counts of his journeys to Mme. Devaines | and Mme. de Tal- 
houet,^ and that I claim my share. 

* Mme. Parseval-Dcschenes, widow of a farmer-general of taxes, was through 
her husband first cousin of Mme. de Bastard, Her son, Ferdinand Parseval, was 
in the navy and died an admiral. 

f Petoffes, an expression commonly used in the family, signifying gossip, scan- 
dal, etc. It is a Proven9al word, and is met with in Mme. de Sevigne's letters. 
\ Deschamps, secretary to the Empress. 

* M. Bertrand (Dominique), formerly a merchant, secretary of the Council 
of Commerce, was an intimate friend of my grandfather. He was a clever, 
well-informed, and thoughtful man, and very intimate with M. de Talleyrand, at 
whose house he afterward took up his abode. He died about 1818. 

II Mme. Devaines (Mile. Racine) was the widow of the Academician, philoso- 
pher, and Councilor of State, and mother of M. Devaines who died a peer of 
France. The latter and M. Guizot married two sisters, Pauline and Henrictte 
Dillon. The mother was considered a clever woman, kept a good table, and was 
surrounded by a circle of distinguished men. 

■^ Mme. de Talhouet was a Creole, and very intimate with Mme. Bonaparte, 
who had appointed her Lady-in-Waiting. 



LETTERS OF MADAME DE RMUSAT. 



III. 

TO M. DE EEMUSAT, AT AIX-LA-CIIAPELLE. 

Paris, Monday, 16 Fructidor, Year XII. 
{September 3, ISO If). 

A THOUSAND tlianks for tlie kind exactitude which has 
relieved me from deep anxiety ! I received your letter yes- 
terday, Sunday, at six o'clock ; I had been expecting it all 
day, and I needed it, for my imagination was busy with the 
bad roads from Aix-la-Chapelle, and I could not repress tears 
of joy when I saw your handwriting. Pray continue to let 
me have a line now and then to set my mind at ease. I 
really require it, for my health is not good enough to bear 
up against anxiety, and your absence has tried me very much. 
I heard through the Archchancellor that the Emperor is only 
to arrive at Aix * to-day, and that you will set out again on 
Thursday, at latest. Do try, if possible, to obtain the nomi- 
nations for young De Grasse and D'Houdetot, and to wind 
up Mme. de Grasse's business — the poor woman is in a piti- 
able condition. 

I am delighted that the Empress received you so well. I 
should like you to have nothing but pleasure on your jour- 
ney, and would willingly keep all tlie disagreeables for my- 
self. . . . 

I have no news for you. There are some miserable 
rumors of war, and of conspiracies on the eve of explosion. 
As for your trvpot,^ it continues to be rather stupid, and I 
have not been there since your departure, but I have seen 
Maherault. X He told me that Mile. Georges had asked for 

* The Emperor joined the Empress at Aix-la-Chapelle on 15 Fructidor, Year 
XII., that is, on September 2, 1804. 

f Voltaire's name for the Comedie Fran9aise. 

X Maherault, brother-in-law to Legouve, the author of " Le Merite des 
Femmes," had a place in the department of Public Education, and was Govern- 
ment Commissioner at the Theatre Fran9aisc. lie was prematurely struck with, 



MME. DE SOUZA. 9 

leave of absence in order to go to her dying father, but it 
seems that he must have recovered rapidly, for she is acting 
at Amiens. I was not aware that the ladies of the comj)any 
would be permitted to absent themselves thus. I went to Le 
Yacher yesterday about your Court suit, and from all I saw 
I thinlv the new costume will be very expensive. Try, at 
any rate, to obtain the Presidency of your Electoral Col- 
lege,* that we may contrive to make our way a little. I saw 
the Minister of Finance about your nephew. He has no 
directorship to give away, because he has made up his mind 
henceforth to choose the directors from among the inspectors. 
But, by taking a place as inspector, a directorship may be 
had afterward. I am going to tell your sister f this, and she 
shall dictate my reply. 

I have told you of all Mme. de Souza's troubles ; she has 
suddenly warmed again toward me. She is anxious and dis- 
satisfied, and has good reason for believing that M. de Lima 
will remain here, while M. de Souza has a great desire to 
leave Paris. She wished, at first, that you should interfere, 
but has happily changed her mind, and is now waiting for 
the Emperor's return. Say nothing, therefore, about lier 
vexation, and write to me in such a way about the audience 

paralysis, but lived to a fairly advanced age. His son was a Councilor of State, 
and the present Academician, M. Ernest Legouve, has written a charming 
sketch of him. 

* My family owned an estate in the Haute-Saone. My grandfather wished 
to be, and in fact became, President of the Electoral College of Vesoul. The 
Presidents were appointed, both under the Empire and under the Government of 
the Restoration, by the Emperor and the King. Their duties were to superin- 
tend and direct electoral operations, and they were sometimes proposed by the 
Government as candidates for the votes of the electors. 

f Mme. de Foresta, the sister of M. de Remusat, died in Provence in 1825. 
Her eldest son, for whom she sought a financial directorship, was, at his death, 
a Councilor of the Court at Ais. A brother of his, the Marquis de Foresta, who 
died in 1858, played a considerable part in the Legitimist party. I give .nu- 
merous family details in these early pages, in order to show the tone of the 
correspondence, and restrict myself, further on, to subjects of more general 
interest. 



10 LETTERS OF MADAME DE R&MUSAT. 

given to tlie Portuguese, that I may repeat what you say. 
The affection she shows for me has made Gallois my friend 
again ; * he is once more quite attentive. 

Adieu ; I must leave you for Charles's lessons. He is 
very well, and loves you as much as ever. Albert knows 
your handwriting. When I show him a letter from you, he 
says, " Papa ! " and kisses it. I hope soon to give him a 
fresh letter to kiss. 

I don't know whether General Duroc is to be told of an 
accident that happened to his wife.f Do not speak to him 
on the subject unless he has already heard of it. . Yesterday, 
Sunday, she was driving in a buggy with her brother, and 
was thrown out, hurting her head a little. I have just sent 
to inquire. She has been bled and feels well this morning. 
There is not the slightest cause for anxiety. For Heaven's 
sake, don't get yourself thrown out on those wretched roads ! 
Come back well and strong, for my health, my happiness, 
and my life depend on yours. My mother sends you her 
love, and says we are a tiresome pair. 

Do not forget Halma.ij: I inclose a letter from Uustan * 
that I opened without looking at the address. 

* M. Gallois was a former Girondist, who had remained a Liberal. His en- 
lightened mind and an intimate acquaintance with England had attached him to 
Lord Lansdowne and his friends. He was very fond of Mme. de Souza, and 
remained intimate with her to the end. He was Mailre des Comptes, and died 
in 1828. 

f Mme. Duroc, Duchess de Frioul, was by birth Mile, Hervas. After the 
death of Duroc, she became Mme. Fabvier. 

X The Abbe Halma, librarian to the Empress, was tutor to my father, who 
was not sent to school until the following year. 

* The Emperor's Mamaluke. 



PAINS OF ABSENCE. ■ 11 

IV. 

TO M. DE REMUSAT, AT AIX-LA-CHAPELLE. 

Paris, Sunday, 22 Fruclidor, Year XII. 
{September 9, I8O4.) 

Your orders have been attended to at once. Thej ar- 
rived to-day, and the actors will set out to-morrow, Monday. 
I will myself go with Maheranlt to M. de Lavalette's, and 
you shall have all the tragedies you ask for at Mayence by 
the 28th, except the " Cid," because we do not possess a 
" noble father," but we have substituted " Horace " for the 
" Cid." I hope the Emperor will be pleased with your 
promptitude in carrying out his wishes, and that you will 
therefore remain at the head of the department of his amuse- 
ments, in spite of all M. de la Tourette's speeches here. He 
is trying to make out that all the Chamberlains are on the 
same level as the jFirst, and that he shares with you the 
direction of the theatres. 

You are very good to have written to me. I was rather 
disappointed at having no letter from you, because it seemed 
to me there was time for you to have written between your 
own arrival and that of the Emperor ; but I have heard from 
you now and am relieved. Tell Auguste * to send me a line 
now and then. I do not ask for details, but only, " We are 
well." Absence is always pain to the one who remains be- 
hind ; it is great pain to me, who am far from you, while my 
heart tells me that I would never willingly be parted from 
you. 

You must, I am sure, have been very glad to see the 
EmjDeror. We are wishing for him here, but can not hope 
to see him very soon. It is said that he means to visit Bou- 
logne again, and the good-natured Painsians suggest number- 
less evil motives for his absence. May it be brief ! May 
we soon welcome back our good Empress and friend ! Speak 

* M. de Remusat's secretary. 



12 LETTERS OF MADAME DE EttMUSAT. 

of me to her, I beg of you ; tell her how much I wish to be 
assured that she does not forget me. 

Mme. de Yaudemont has, at last, bought a house. She 
seems quite resolved on leaving her present abode before 
winter. I had a note from her to-day, promising me, within 
a week, a definite answer as to the date of her departure. I 
went over her house ; it is very convenient, with good offices ; 
we should all, and you especially, be very comfortable there. 
Mamma and I have contrived a capital way of managing, and 
with due regard to the strictest economy. I attend all the 
sales that are going on, and have seen some very good bar- 
gains. If I could hope, however, that you would soon be 
back, I would rather wait for you to decide upon everything. 
It is curious that I, who look such a determined person, can 
never make u}) my mind, and am always afraid, unless you 
are with me, of doing something foolish. 

In order to have as little to reproach myself with as pos- 
sible, can you guess what I am doing during your absence ? 
I am becoming pious. I go to Mass,' I j^ray to God, and as 
one must love something, I turn to Him, while waiting for 
your return some fine morning. I have found that this is 
the only way of bearing the trials of life. I worked myself 
up to a sort of enthusiasm, and — you will smile, perhaps — I 
am calmer since I have had recourse to Divine Providence ; 
besides, I pray for you, and that is another way of thinking 
of you. In short, I am in such a state of fervor that I be- 
lieve I shall even go so far as confession, and, if you stay 
away much longer, I will not .answer for myself on that 
point. Do not imagine, however, that I have any heavy sin 
on my conscience. My greatest fault is, in truth, that I do 
not remind myself often enough that you are the best of 
husbands, and that I neglect opportunities of giving you 
pleasure. Is not the humility of this avowal due to my new 
sentiments ? I intend to remain in this frame of mind. 

Can you guess what I am doing as I write to you % I 
have surrounded myself with your letters, and I kiss them 



REMimSGENGES. .. 13 

all, one after the other ; those I received long ago, as well as 
that of this morning. I have one in my hand written to me 
when I was as yet only Clary. It contains nothing at all 
remarkable, only a commission you give me from Paris, yet 
my heart beats when I look at it. Ah ! what happy recol- 
lections I retain of those early days, notwithstanding the 
grief they sometimes brought me ! How greatly were my 
sorrows assuaged by the feelings with which you inspired 
me ! You made them endurable. What sweet emotions are 
recalled by those days ! My thoughts were of you only ; to 
see you for a moment alone, to read your love for me in 
your eyes, were my sole pleasures. I remember what I felt 
when I saw you at the end of one of our lonely paths at St. 
Gratien. But those days are already far away. How many 
cares and anxieties have succeeded to that peaceful time! 
How many quiet delights were showered by Heaven on our 
youth ! 

I have come to the end of my paj)er, and I have still 
much I could say to you, but adieu. Send me word how 
you are. Tell General Duroc his wife is quite well. I have 
seen her ; there is not the least cause for anxiety. It was a 
terrible accident, from no fault of hers, and we must thank 
Heaven for her escape. But she is now perfectly well, and 
would write herself, only that her right hand is a little 
sprained. 



Y. 

TO M. DE REMUSAT, AT AIX-LA-CHAPELLE. 

Paris, Wednesday, 25 Fruciidor, Year XII. 
{September 12, I8O4.) 

Mon ami, this is a happy day for me ; I have had news 
of you twice over, once from you and once from Deschamps. 
I feel quite weary with the bare account of all your work ! 
I fear that amid all the hubbub you will not have time to 



14 LETTERS OF MADAME BE Ri^MUSAT. 

take care of yourself. I know how you can exert yourself 
when necessary, and I feel anxious about you. But remem- 
ber, your health is the first need of my life. While you are 
rushing about, I am here in the most perfect repose ; I be- 
stirred myself, however, in order to send off your actors. 
Make your mind easy on that point ; all will be well. So 
soon as your letter for Maherault arrived, I went with him 
to M. de Lavalette, who gave orders for relays of post- 
horses for the actors. He told them not to travel too 
closely, one carriage upon the other, for fear of not finding 
horses ready. He fears, nevertheless, that they may have 
some trouble, notwithstanding this precaution, in getting 
from Strasburg to Mayence, and may be delayed for a day. 
I asked M. de Lavalette for an intelligent courier to precede 
them on the road. Afterward (it was on Monday morning) 
I went to Beckwelt's * to fetch the twelve thousand francs, 
a sum which, by the by, I had some trouble to get, for it 
had been invested. I secured it at last, and then proceeded 
to the green-room of the Comedie, where I found your sub- 
jects assembled, and quarreling over their various convey- 
ances. I acted as Vice-Chamberlain, and I gave instructions 
about all to Saint-Prix, because he seemed the most business- 
like, and we arranged that he should start on Tuesday in the 
first carriage, followed by a second, which was to be five 
hours in advance of the others. This was accordingly car- 
ried out. Mile. Ilaucourt,t oiilj? bad not returned from the 
country yesterday morning. I am waiting to see Maherault 
before closing my letter, to hear news of him from the fifth 
carriage, which she and her people are to occupy. But even 

* Beckwelt, clief de bureau at the Finance Office, had been under M. de 
Vergennes when the latter was Director of Taxes at the General Receipts Office 
in the Rue Ste. Avoj'e. He continued to the end of his life to be the man of 
business of the family. 

f Mile. Raucourt, who was born in 1*756, had long been first tragic actress 
at the Theatre Fran9ais. She had now been relegated to the second or third 
rank, in consequence of the success of Miles. Georges and Duchesnois. She 
died in 1815. 



A JUVENILE ARTIST. 15 

if she does not arrive until four-and-twenty hours after the 
others, you would still be able to have " Phedre," " Bajazet," 
" Ariane," or " Mithridate " played ; " Cima " and " Horace " 
would come afterward. The greater part of their luggage is 
going by the diligence, which will arrive on the 29th. 

I am now going to see Maherault, and to read your let- 
ter, which has this instant reached me, to him. I shall ad- 
vise him to go, if possible. The actors reckon on receiving 
money from you on their arrival. Those who are left be- 
hind complain very much of the Emperor's neglect of the 
Comedie Frangaise. I held out hopes that it would be made 
up to them, and I objected to their closing the theatre en- 
tirely, as they wished to do. They will play twice or thrice 
a week, but they are so few in number, and the season is so 
fine, that they will really need help. You see that Mahe- 
rault and I have done our best. I have just come back 
to my room after seeing Maherault, who tells me that 
Mile. Raucourt can start to-day, Wednesday, and, since 
you wish it, Maherault will go with her. His health allows 
of this. 

I have many messages for you from your son. You will 
wonder that he does not send them himself, but he has gone 
on a party of pleasure to the Jardin des Piantes, and was 
obliged to give up the pleasure of writing to you. I have 
made a discovery about him : he is a very nice boy. You 
see the result of my hours of meditation ! He is working 
very fairly, because life being a little hard for me just now, 
I spend my time in making it hard for him too ! He reads 
and writes with me for three hours every morning, and 
works again a little in the evening, for I found it did not do 
for him to have so many unoccupied hours. He agreed 
very willingly to the evening lessons, which consist of ten 
lines of verse learned by heart, and a few written phrases of 
his own composition, to teach him to spell. He had a funny 
idea a few days ago. He made a droll little sketch repre- 
senting the Emperor at his toilet, and the Sovereigns of 



16 LETTERS OF MADAME BE REMUSAT. 

Europe each handing him one of his garments. My mother 
and I were greatly amused. 

People say here that the Emperor will return to Bou- 
logne after this Rhine journey. In that case you would 
come home, I hope, or would you be going into Franche 
Comte? Try not to lose sight of the Presidency of the 
Department. To obtain that, I would patiently bear a little 
delay. But what will the Empress do ? Shall we soon have 
her among us again? I begin to think her absence very 
long. It is pleasant to live v/ith her, and I wish she were 
returning to St. Cloud. 

I have just read, in Deschamps's letter, his account of the 
Emperor's reception at Aix-la-Chapelle. You are going to 
make a triumphant progress, and I must own to a secret re- 
gret that I can not be of the party, since you are one of it. 
My only fear is lest the Court, so well received everywhere, 
and so justly disgusted with our horrid Parisians, may take 
a dislike to this gloomy capital and remove from it alto- 
gether. To give you some idea of our amiability, only im- 
agine, everybody is grumbling at the absence of the actors of 
the Francais, though the house was invariably empty ! You 
see that I take advantage of your permission to write at 
length, although I have nothing to tell you, and am perhaps 
wearisome. But what can a humdrum woman like me hear 
in the way of news ? I seldom go out, I see no one but a 
few old graybeards, and I can not be happy with my hus- 
band away. My greatest amusement is the shower-bath, 
which I take every morning, and enjoy very much. My 
health is good ; I even think I am growing stout. Every 
one says so. . . . 



M. DE SOUZA IS RECALLED. 17 

YI. 

TO M. DE EEMUSAT, AT MAYENCE. 

29 Frudidor, Year XII. 
{Sunday, September 16, I8O4.) 

I AM surprised that you do not mention M. de Souza in 
any of your letters. I saw his wife this morning ; she had 
heard from him the bad news of his recall, and of his new 
mission to one of the J^orthern Courts. You can imagine 
the effect on her and the excess of her grief. She fears, 
moreover, that matters may become still worse for her, and 
that some false report may be made to the Emperor, of 
things she will be accused of having said on the subject ; she 
begs you will prevent this additional misfortune, by assuring 
the Emperor of her regret, but, at the same time, of the 
resolution she has taken not to manifest even the slightest 
vexation, and to comfort herself by the recollection of his 
Majesty's kindness, which she will never forget. M. de 
Souza, who for some time past has had many reasons for ex- 
pecting his removal, left Paris, nevertheless, in a more tran- 
quil state of mind, because, two days before his departure, 
he had had a frank explanation with M. de Lima, who gave 
him his word of honor that he had no pretensions to the 
Embassy in France. It would seem, however, that he 
changed his mind at Aix-la-Chapelle. But if anything can 
console Mme. de Souza, it is the tender affection of her good 
husband. Nothing can be more touching than the letter in 
which he gives her all the particulars. I should like you to 
see it ; it is impossible to have purer, tenderer, or more esti- 
mable sentiments than his. However sad it may be to part 
with her country, her friends, her old habits, and perhaps 
even her son,* there can be no unhappiness in accompanying 
a husband like hers or mine. 

* Charles de Flahault, Mme. de Souza's son by her first marriage, became a 
general at the end of the First Empire, at a very early age. He was a senator 



18 LETTERS OF MADAME DE REMUS AT. 

It is especially on account of lier son that Mme. de Souza 
fears to be injured with the Emperor. She begs you to tell 
this to the Empress, and to say that, though greatly dis- 
tressed, she is quite resigned. If possible, write me a few 
words to prove that you have exerted yourself in this affair, 
and that our good protectress is interested in the poor lady. 
In truth, she needs such a consolatory proof of your friend- 
ship.* I think you must now be at Cologne. Every one 
tells me that you are making the most delightful journey in 
the world, and that I ought to be very glad you are travel- 
ing through such a lovely country. All the better, if you 
are enjoying yourself. I am not so selfish as to wish you to 
be dull ; I will take all the dullness for my share, and shall be 
amply rewarded by the joy of meeting you again. 

I am longing too to be once more with the Emjjress — I 
would almost say with the Emperor also, only that it might 
seem disrespectful. You say nothing about his return ; true, 
you may know very little about it. It is rumored here that 
the coronation is to be deferred. I can not believe this, and, 
if I might venture, I would say that delay would have an ill 
effect. On the other hand, we are told that the Pope is 
coming, and that the Grand Master of Ceremonies is to be 
sent forward to meet him. Do you know whether this is 
true? You are really unbearably discreet; there is nothing 
to be got out of you. 

I saw Portalis about your nephew. He promised to put 
down his name on the list for a Prefecture, and to speak 
strongly in his favor. I will not let him. forget his promise ; 

and Grand Chancellor of the Legion of Honor under the Second Empire. He 
died September 1, 1870. 

* This letter is one of those (the reader must remember) written when my 
grandparents were in constant fear that their correspondence was, or might be, 
seen by the Emperor. This will be still more apparent in succeeding letters. 
Yet it would not be just to say that all their expressions and remarks were die 
tated by calculation. There was a certain mixture of sincerity and caution in 
the sentiments they expressed, which it would be difficult to sift, but which la 
intelligible to the reader of the Letters and the Memoirs. 



HUMBOLDT. 19 

while yon are away I like to exert myself actively in yonr 
service, or in that of any one belonging to you. 

I dined a few days ago with M. Humboldt, and passed 
the whole evening in delightedly listening to him. He is sim- 
ple and modest like Merit itself ; he has observed with judg- 
ment, has a fine memory, and his narratives are admirably 
iDvitten. I can use no other word, for he speaks both care- 
fully and fluently, and one seems to be listening to an inter- 
esting book read aloud. . . . 



YII. 

TO M. DE KEMUSAT, AT MAYENCE. 

Paris, Tuesday, 1st Complemcnlary, Year XII. 
{September 18, I8O4..) 

I HAVE not heard from you since Thursday, and though 
not greatly surprised at your silence, still it makes me just a 
little anxious, and I shall remain so until you can find a leisure 
moment in which to tell me that you are well. Anxiety 
about your health pursues me everywhere, and any one to 
hear me talking about the heat and the cold would "imagine 
you were a gouty old invalid. In spite of your infirmities, 
however, I hope you are getting on well. . . . 

You will see in the newspapers a capital letter from the 
Minister of Police to the clergy ; we are all delighted with 
it here. He wrote to me that his wife receives on Wednes- 
days ; I intend calling on her to-morrow. If you wish for 
news, for you are capable of knowing nothing about it, al- 
though on the very spot whence it emanates, let me tell you 
that Mme. Bonaparte mere, who has also her brevet of Prin- 
cess, has been sent for ; that M. Clary is her Chamberlain, 
and Mme. Clary her Lady of Honor ; that Mme. Borghese * 

* Mme. Borghese, or Princess Pauline, was sister to the Emperor. 



20 LETTERS OF MADAME DE REMUSAT. 

has quarreled with her husband, and is returning to Paris ; 
that private proposals have, it is said, been made to Lucien ; 
that M. de Jaucourt is First Chamberlain to Prince Joseph ; 
that the marriage contract between Mile. Tascher and M. de 
Puentes is signed, also those between Eugene and Mile, de 
Rohan, and M. Tascher and Mile, de Yalence. This is what 
we amuse ourselves by hearing and repeating in Paris, during 
your absence. Much of it seems probable, but I do not be- 
lieve it all.* About once a week I emerge from my shell to 
pay a few visits, and gather in all the gossip. The rest of 
my time I remain at home, and my days are all so alike that 
you may always guess what I am doing at whatever hour you 
may think of me. In the morning, my bath ; on returning 
home, Charles's lessons. Afterward I write a few lines to 
you, and read Pascal, whom I have seized upon to keep up 
my piety. In the course of the evening a little discussion 
with the Abbe Morellet,t Bertrand, and Gallois, who is very 
friendly again ; and by ten o'clock every one in the house is 
in bed. This, you see, is a very salubrious sort of life, and 
my health consequently is good. With a few little excep- 
tions — ^you will guess them — I could be very happy, spending 
my life in this way ; but I feel that I should sometimes want 
to see ray good and kind protectress, and the Emperor also. 
Adieu. Mamma pretends that she no longer thinks about 
you, but she speaks of you continually. 

Wednesday Evening. 

I had closed my letter, but I open it again, because I have 
received one that has raised my spirits. Your want of occu- 
pation wearies you, but you have no vexations as I feared. I 
shall send you my little sermon all the same, however, be- 

* Most of these previsions were not realized. Everybody knows that Prince 
Eugene de Beauharnais mai-ricd Princess Augusta of Bavaria, and not Mile, de 
Rohan. 

f The Abbe Morellet, who wrote his Memoirs, is he whom Voltaire nick- 
named Abbe Mord-les (the Biter). He died, over ninety years of age, on Jan- 
uary 12, 1819. He was a member of the French Academy. 



DULLNESS BEIGNS AT PARIS. 21 

cause I liave not time to write my letter over again. Be- 
sides, in the vortex in which we are pkmged, we shall find 
good use for it. I can understand the dullness of your pres- 
ent life. You are not accustomed to keep your mind in such 
a state of inactivity, and really and truly I pity you, for I 
know what it is. I hope you are often consoled by smiles 
from the master; you rejoice in them, I know, and I con- 
gratulate you, if you obtain them sometimes. You are very 
good to give me an account of your day, and your narrative is 
most spirited. But will no Chamberlains be appointed to do 
the no-work which now fills up all your time ? You ought 
to have brought such labors to an end. . . . 

I see Mme. de Souza every day. She is out of spirits and 
unhappy, and all this business is not a consequence of her in- 
discretion only ; she certainly helped, but she is not the only 
cause. Her husband's behavior is most noble and dignified. 
He shows her and Charles * the greatest affection. Wherever 
she may be, with such a husband, it will only depend upon 
herself to be happy. You do not say a word about Mme. 
Devaines,f and she is quite put out by it. She is not a woman 
to offend, and you are wrong to be negligent of this. If I 
receive another letter with no mention of her, I must invent 
some sort of satisfactory message. 

I heard here that M. de Segur X was to be sent forward 
to meet the Pope, and as the happiness of seeing you, es- 
pecially after so long an absence, comes before everything 
with me, I was delighted. They say now that the corona- 
tion is deferred, but I think I told you this before. There is 
nothing new in Paris, but profound dullness and idleness reign. 
Your poor theatre gives an occasional performance to an empty 
house, and, by-the-way, you must give them a good ralcing 
on your return ; they are so lazy ! All the newspapers are 
down on your actors with well-deserved blame. Before they 

* Charles de Flahault. 

f Mme. Devaines wished to be Lady-in- Waiting. 

X M, de Segur was Grand Master of the Ceremonies. 



22 LETTERS OF MADAME BE REMUS AT 

left Paris, they were always acting the same pieces, and they 
want a sound scolding. 

Picard's theatre is carried on with great spirit. He has 
brought out a new piece, which is a success ; but I have not 
seen it, as I scarcely ever go to the play. Yesterday, how- 
ever, although depressed by your letter, I went to the Opera. 
I saw " Pan urge," which was very good, and the great Du- 
port, who, in spite of poor M. de Lugay's prohibitions, intro- 
duced ever so many new steps. I saw M. de Lugay * a few 
days ago; he is melancholy and discontented, and confided 
some of his sorrows to me. O mon ami, what human being 
is happy ? 

But enough of petoffes. You will have no occasion to 
complain of the brevity of this letter ; I am spinning it out 
as much as I can, as when it is finished I must return to soli- 
tude. You are now at Mayence, whence you will write to 
me ; but it will be four or five days before I can hear from 
you. Adieu, my beloved. Charles is climbing on my 
shoulder, to ask if I have sent a message from him ; he is an 
affectionate child. I think you will see that he has made 
some progress. Adieu. Oh ! I was forgetting. Send me a 
line authorizing me to take Mme. Lavoisier's f apartment, 
which she agrees to let to us. 

* M. de Lugay was Prefect of the Palace and responsible for the Opera and 
the Opera Comique. Duport was an opera-dancer and composer of ballets. He 
was an excellent dancer in the serious style. "Pannrge" is an opera of 
Gr6try's, the libretto by Morel. It was represented for the first time in l^SS. 
Picard had been appointed director of the Italian Opera, on its removal to the 
Salle Louvois in 1803. 

f Mme. Lavoisier, the widow of the illustrious Lavoisier, who was executed 
under the Ecign of Terror, had been Mile. Paulze. She died in 1834, after a 
second marriage with Count Rumford. She was, all through her life, very inti- 
mate with our family. My father felt a real regard for her. She was rather 
blunt, but sincere, faithful, and energetic. She was living at that time on the 
ground-floor cf a large house on the Boulevard de la Madeleine, at the corner of 
the Rue Duphot. This was the apartment my grandparents were anxious to take, 
and where, in fact, my father passed the greater part of his childhood. The 
whole building has since been pulled down, and replaced by the houses of the 



A GOURTIEB'S TROUBLES. 23 

YIII. 

TO M. DE EEMUSAT, AT MAYENCE. 

Paris, Wednesday, 2d Complementary, Year XII. 
{September 19, ISO4.) 

I WEOTE to you under tlie melanclioly influence of your 
last letter, and I regret now tliat I did so, because I do not 
wisli to cause you tlie slightest pain of any kind. But you 
will forgive me, if you recollect that your tone of gloom was 
accom^panied by no particulars, and that you left all details 
to my imagination. I still feel rather anxious, in a vague 
way, and constrained to write to you again to-day, although 
a letter for you has already been dispatched this morning. 
Assuredly you can not accuse me of neglect. I write to you 
almost every day ; in fact, I believe I write every day ; it is 
my delight and my only consolation, and, while thus holding 
intercourse with you, I cherish the delusion that we are once 
more together. I enjoy this happiness all the more, because 
you tell me that my letters give you the same feeling, and I 
believe it, for I love to beheve all you say. What renders 
my life so happy, and beautifies both present happiness and 
that which I look forward to in the future, is my entire con- 
fidence in you — a confidence which, I will confess, I some- 
times abuse. I am so sure of your feelings ; it is so delight- 
ful to be able to say, when reading my husband's affectionate 
words, " All this is true." But to return to your letter. It 
grieved me ; but I do think your extreme sensitiveness is 
the cause of your being so easily upset. "What has hap- 
pened ? Some slight mark of dissatisfaction on the part of 
the Emperor, which hurt you at the moment, but which can 
have no serious results, because your zeal for him is as active 
as your admiration is sincere. He is not ignorant of this ; 

Cite Vinde. Mme. Rumford, on yacating it,-took Mme. de Vaud^mont's house 
in the Rue d'Anjou. Afterward the Rues Rumford and Lavoisier, and part of 
the Boulevard Malesherbes, were built on this ground. 



24 LETTERS OF MADAME DE REMUSAT. 

lie has more than once done justice to you, and you are too 
right-minded to misjudge the occasional violence of temper 
that belongs to his character, and which is surely sufficiently 
accounted for by the multitude of affairs that occupy and 
agitate him. Moreover, it appears to me that at this very 
moment he is giving you a proof of confidence in appointing 
you President of an Electoral College. There is no altera- 
tion, therefore, in the interest he kindly takes in us, and you 
must not forget that the life of Courts is not so calm and 
peaceful that one can dispense with strong armor to guard 
one's feelings from the little vexations that meet one at every 
turn. Is it from your companions that you have received 
some annoyance? Has your self-respect been wounded? 
Has some prerogative been contested and taken away ? After 
all, what does it matter ? Trust to time, to the justice of the 
Emperor, to your own merit, for the reward due to every 
honorable man who does his duty. Mon ami, one thought 
is constantly before me, which prevents my feeling very 
deeply the little contradictions we niay meet with at Court. 
It is this. What have we done for the Eevolution ? What 
pledges, to use the current expression, have we given it? 
What claim have we to distinctions from the new authorities 
it has brought forth ? We have suffered and sighed, which 
is interesting to nobody ; and after that terrible upheaving, 
your position is one to be envied and coveted by all who 
have been toiling to get on these last fifteen years. Such 
refiections make me earnestly wish that you could obtain 
some place in the Government, as well as your place at 
Court, and belong to some official department. They also 
moderate my feelings of ambition, which would be exces- 
sive, if I could forget that, after such political crises, modest 
merit and delicate probity have no claims to favors of the 
first rank. 

You will think my tone very serious to-day, but it har- 
monizes with my thoughts, which in consequence of your 
letter are rather grave. Yet, when I look around me, I see 



CONSOLATORY CONSIDERATIONS. 25 

many reasons for contentment ; our mutual affection, our 
children, our happy home ! Who could complain, with so 
many blessings ? . . . 

The Emperor, I suppose, is at Mayence by this time. I 
hope the actors have arrived. I see by your letter that when 
you wrote you had received none of mine on the subject ; I 
trust you have them all now. I should not like them to be 
lost. Adieu, once more, my beloved. Your children and 
my mother are well. My health is tolerably good ; Corvisart 
is more satisfied with it, and if my mind were quite at ease, 
I should be well. Tell the Empress how much I long to see 
her. I do not send the same message to the Emperor, and 
yet, believe me, I wish he were back at St. Cloud. 



IX. 

TO M. DE KEMUSAT, AT MAYENCE. 

Paris, Friday, ^th Complementary, Year XIT. 
{September 21, I8O4.) 

... I CALLED on Mrae. de Talleyrand yesterday morning. 
She was very civil, and said she should tell her husband to 
tell you she had seen me. She asserted so strenuously and 
so often that her husband was delighted, happy, and on the 
best terms with the Emperor, that I was half tempted to 
doubt it. 

Poor Mme. de Souza is far from this state of triumphant 
delight, although she has sufficient self-command to speak 
very little of her departure. The Imperial family show her 
the greatest friendship. Mme. Louis * shed tears on seeing 
her, and Prince Louis promised to write to the Emperor that 
there was some intrigue at the bottom of all this, which 
ought to be looked into. M. and Mme. Murat also are inter- 

* Mine. Louis Bonaparte, aftei-ward Queen Hortense. 
2 



26 LETTERS OF MADAME BE BEMU8AT. 

esting themselves. I do not think anything is to be gained, 
however, and the best thing bur poor ambassadress can do, is 
to love her husband and go with him to Russia, where she 
may enjoy the honors paid to him and the sensation she her- 
self will create. Bertrand is heart-broken, and Gallois in a 
state of repressed fury ; Abbe Morellet no longer knows how 
to spend his Thursdays. In the midst of all this M. de 
Souza remains admirably calm and dignified. He has be- 
havedjiobly throughout ; he is a very high-minded man. 

You will not tell me whether the coronation is to be de- 
ferred, and I do not know whether I ought to go on with my 
preparations. Meanwhile I would much rather spend the 
money on installing ourselves comfortably than on unneces- 
sary clothes. I have no answer as yet about the price of the 
. furniture which I agreed on with Fallanquin. 

I have just seen Picard, who praises you and the Empress 
alternately. He tells me your health is very good. Pray 
take care of it. I am well. Adieu. 



X. 

TO M. DE EEMUSAT, AT MAYENCE. 

Paris, Sunday, 1 Vendemiaire, Year XIII. 
{September S3, ISO4.) 

... I SUPPOSE you are now in the midst of your the- 
atrical performances, and that they are going off well. It is 
just the contrary here ; our actors play only twice a week to 
empty houses. The public grumbles at them, and they at 
the public. I inclose you a newspaper which speaks of them 
fairly enough. They certainly require reform ; because, after 
all, in former times, when they were only half their present 
number, the removal of the Court never prevented them 
from playing at the Prangais. Picard's theatre, with smaller 
resources, is better managed ; it has been open without inter- 



PAINTINGS. 27 

mission, and he has brought out two new pieces that have 
both succeeded. I was inclined to send for Dazincourt,* 
but I reflected that it would not do for me to set myself up 
as regent, that you would not approve, and that it must not 
be. People hope that on your return you will regulate the 
administration of the theatre differently. 

I went this morning to the Salon, where I saw some fine 
paintings. The best is undoubtedly the picture by Gros, 
of the Emperor's visit to the sufferers from the plague, in 
Egypt. . Drawing, composition, and color, all are excellent. 
David at once awarded it the crown of honor, and it was well 
deserved. There is a most painful picture, by Hennequin, 
only moderately well executed. It represents the dreadful 
events at Quiberon.f One shudders at the sight of French- 
men slaughtering each other, and I own that it was an effort 
to me to explain this melancholy subject to our son. It is 
said to have been painted by order, but not only is it ill exe- 
cuted, but I fail to see that it can have any good effect. I 
remarked also a beautiful flower-piece by Yandael, belong- 
ing to the Empress, and Isabey's picture, w^hich is charming, 
every face being a perfect likeness. Lastly, a very beautiful 
little painting by Eichard, who painted the Yalentine of 
Milan. It represents Francis I., and is pronounced by con- 
noisseurs to be equal to a Gerard Dow. You should advise 
the Empress to buy it. 

Will you be so kind as to mention M. Cheron to Maret ? X 
This is the reason. The Presidency of his Electoral College 
is vacant. I wrote to Montalivet, and, at my request, he 
very kindly put Cheron's name at tlie head of the list pre- 

* Dazincourt, who was born in 1'74'7 and died in 1809, created the part of 
Figaro, and had great influence at the Comedie rran9aise. His acting was con- 
sidered to be correct, refined, and somewhat cold. Preville said of him, "He is 
a good comic actor — joliing apart." 

•|- Every one knows that painful incident of the civil war, of which the Em- 
peror wished to perpetuate the memory. In 1795 the emigres and the English 
landed at Quiberon. They were defeated by General Hoche. 

X Maret, afterward Due de Bassano. He was at this time Secretary of State. 



28 LETTERS OF MADAME DE REMU8AT. 

sented to Portalis. The latter promised to put it on the list 
that will be shown to the Emperor, and then will come the 
opportunity for M. Maret to help ns ; do not forget this. 



XI. 



TO M. DE KEMUSAT, AT VESOUL. 

Paris, Friday, 6 Vendemiare, Year XIII. 
{September 28, 180^.) 

Thanks for your two letters, which arrived together and 
gave me great pleasure. I needed these two companions of 
my solitude, for I have been alone since last Monday. My 
mother is at Auvers, and has taken Charles, leaving me alone 
with my thoughts. I should be very dull were it not for the 
sweet reveries caused by your letters, and for the knowledge 
that Charles is enjoying himself. Thus maternal love, the 
least selfish of all love, delights in the sacrifice of self. But 
I do not so patiently endure a certain person's absence, and 
time seems to lag wearily until the happy moment of your 
return. It is said that the Empress will come back here 
next week ; I shall take my turn of waiting the following 
week, so as to be free from the 20th to the 25th. Then, 
with nothing to disturb me from the anticipation of the close 
of this weary separation, with what impatience shall I not 
await the blessed day that will reunite us ! 

I have just received letters from my mother ; she says 
that Charles is in good spirits, and is all day long in the vine- 
yards. I am glad he has taken advantage of these last fine 
days. While he is playing, I am thinking of him and you ; 
I make plans for the future, and place you both in a prosper- 
ous position, as you deserve. I picture that dear child re- 
warding us for all we have done for him, and enjoying the 
good things of life that you have amassed for his sake, while 
you enjoy calm repose with me after all your trials arid 



PHILOSOPHY. 29 

labors. Oh, my clearest, may these hopes be realized and 
not disappointed ! Where are those days in which I should 
have had no doubt ? What sad progress I have made ! 

It seems we are not to see the Emperor just yet ; he in- 
tends returning to Boulogne. Here we are all excited about 
the invasion, and politics are the order of the day. You may 
imagine that we don't let the affairs of Turkey pass without 
plenty of comment and much dissertation. But I have little 
to say on the subject. The older I grow the less I care for 
what is not myself, that is, you and all I love. Whatever 
the future may have in store for us, if we are left together, 
we shall always be happy ; otherwise, all will be over. Do 
not scold me for a shade of melancholy ; you know who will 
make me gay again. While on the subject of the finality of 
all things, did you see in the papers the almost sudden death 
of poor Fargues,* and that of Mme. Macdonald ? Thus do 
youth and riches vanish in a single moment. 1 remember 
what you told me once of Fargues's discontent, and of his 
unsatisfied ambition; if he had known then how soon he 
was to reach the term of all human passions, how greatly he 
would have despised his own state of mind ! 

Is not this a grand subject for moralizing, and in my 
present humor I have but to let myself run on and I shall be 
making the liveliest and most original remarks. But I spare 
you, and in order to enliven you a little more, I must tell you 
of the sums our new house f is costing us. I send you an 
estimate I got from Fallampin, :j: before beginning, that you 
may see the amount. I exclaimed when I saw it, and asked 
for exact particulars of each article, and I see plainly that the 

* M. Fargues was in the Administration. His son was Auditor under the 
Empire and Prefect in 1830. 

f She is still speaking of the house on the Boulevard de la Madeleine, or 
rather of the ground-floor of that house. The rent was seven thousand francs 
(£280). The house was bought successively by M. Ouvrard, and M. Pourtales, 
who lived in it. It was used afterward as an hotel, and then passed into the 
hands of Morel de Vinde. 

\ An upholsterer. 



30 LETTERS OF MADAME DE EEMU8AT. 

present generation is foolish to throw away such sums of 
money on all these superfluities. 

However, I shall conclude none of my purchases until 
your return ; there is no hurry, nor will there be any diffi- 
culty in finding what we require. You must own that I am 
right in saying we are all foolish. Our good old forefathers, 
wiser than we, passed their days in arm-chairs where their 
fathers had sat before them, and they amused themselves 
quite as much as we do. ]^owadays, if one would have a few 
friends in one's house, one must begin by decorating it like a 
shop, and it is too true that many people have no means of 
amusing their guests except by feasting their eyes on the ele- 
gance of their furniture. 

I hope your actors have given satisfaction ; I don't see 
why they sliould not act as well at Mayence as here. When 
you have amused yourself sufficiently, send them back, for 
those who remain are really pitiable ; the theatre is nearly 
always closed, and when open is empty. Picard, on the con- 
trary, is delighted, and proud of his success. The Opera 
Comique have done well also ; they brought out the night 
before last a most charming little opera. 

Adieu ; I think this is enough gossip. You will read it 
before going to bed the day you arrive at Yesoul ; it will put 
you asleep. You are quite right to have made up your mind 
to be amused with my long, rambling letters — for, if you had 
not, what would become of you ? 



XII, 

TO M. DE EEMUSAT,* AT MILAN. 

St. Cloud, Saturday, 9 Germinal, Year XIII. 
{March SO, 1805.) 

In one of Mme. de Sevigne's letters she says, '' What a 
I doAf is that on which separation commences ! " Alas ! I have 

* The coronation had taken place in Paris in December, 1804. A few months 
later, on 11 Germinal, Year XIII. (April 1, 1805), the Emperor left for Milan, 



AT ST. CLOUD. 31 

experienced the pain of such a day, and I do not think there 
can be many moments more painful than those which follow 
on the departure of a person we love. The solitude that 
succeeds to the bustle of departure, the silence, the tears that 
stand in the eyes of all, but that one dares not acknowledge 
lest they turn into sobs, and for all the rest of the day the 
usual order of the house neglected ! In short, every little cir- 
cumstance that one dwells on although it only adds to one's 
grief ! For myself, my dearest, I am not strong enough to 
bear such emotions frequently. I have taught myself to 
believe that we should always be together; I can not exist 
alone and far from you. Do believe me, there can be no 
happiness for me away from you. Poor little Charles wept 
so bitterly, his unrestrained grief cut me to the soul. All the 
evening he kept telling me that he could not believe he 
should not see you in the morning. At last he was so dis- 
tressed that I was obliged to try and amuse him, and only 
succeeded by taking him to the theatre. . . . 

I came here to St. Cloud, yesterday morning, and found 
everybody preparing for departure ; this made me think of 
yours. They start to-morrow, and I return to Paris this even- 
ing. I do not want to stay here, or to see anybody ; it would 

to be crowned King of Italy. His First Chamberlain had to start a few days 
earlier, to make the necessary preparations, taking with him the Imperial insig- 
nia and the crown diamonds. It was during this journey to Italy that the fol- 
lowing letters were written. My father retained a keen recollection of the emo- 
tions of this leave-taking, and wrote the following memorandum on the subject, 
toward the close of his life : " A journey to Italy, the passage of Mont Cenis, 
and indeed any kind of traveling, was at that time, by reason of the badness and 
insecurity of the roads, a much greater affair than at the present day. My 
mother, who took everything seriously, and was an enthusiastic and romantic 
woman, and who, moreover, had never considered the positive side of life, greatl}' 
exaggerated it besides ; and as her imagination gave the key-note to us all, I 
looked upon a leave-taking, or an absence, or a journey, as a catastrophe, or 
almost as a family mourning. At that time there prevailed a tone of sentiment 
or affection on all subjects, which at the present day would appear affected, but 
which was, nevertheless, perfectly sincere, and perhaps indicated finer moral 
qualities than the cynical irony of our generation." 



32 LETTERS OF MADAME DE BEMUSAT. 

only make me weep, and make people think I am sorry 
because they are going away. The Empress is in a state of 
perturbation which prevents me from seeing much of her. 
However, she seemed pleased to have me here these last two 
days. ]^o one could form an idea of the confusion that pre- 
vails. Every place is encumbered ; no one knows to whom 
to apply for orders, and yet everybody is giving them. 

Amid this tumult Caulaincourt is loudly ordering that 
the men-servants and the maids are to be seized by main 
force and packed off. The journey to Eontainebleau is to 
be made to-morrow, and on to Troyes on Tuesday. General 
Duroc thinks that the Emperor will be at Turin on the 22d. 
You will then be much farther away, but you will be resting 
yourself, and I shall be more at ease ; for your journey dis- 
quiets me — the roads are so unsafe, and then the cold is so 
intense ! To-day we are in mid-winter. When I opened my 
shutters, in order to write to you, I found everything covered 
with snow, and I sorrowfully reflected that you were travel- 
ing. I can not, alas ! ask you to be careful of yourself, for 
this letter will only reach you after you have, I hope, es- 
caped all the dangers that I dread. I am entering on ten 
days of terrible anxiety ; the grief of separation is not the 
only trouble absence brings with it. 

I did not see the Emperor yesterday ; he was at work all 
the morning, and retired at eight o'clock. Before closing my 
letter I will tell you if I do see him, and to-morrow I will 
just wish you good-morning before I seal. 

Saturday Evening. 

'■ I have passed a dreadful day, listening to people talking 
of the difficulties of your journey, of the want of horses, and 
consequently the diminution of your escort, and of the 
wretched Savoy roads and their ignorant postihons. I cried 
all day, and I sj)end my time in prayers for your safety, but 
I can not beg you to be careful, for this letter will not reach 
you for a long time. How soon shall I hear from yoii after 



MISaiVINGS. 33 

that fatal Mont Cenis ? How I must suffer until I do ! It 
is in these times of anxiety especially that I feel how dear 
you are, how necessary is your existence to mine. Oh, my 
dearest, be careful ; without you I feel I can not live. 

I spent the day at St. Cloud, without, however, seeing 
the Emperor, who has been continually at work, and did not 
make his appearance. The Empress has been all kindness, 
but I was in a very unfit state to enjoy it. 



XIII. 



TO M. DE EEMUSAT, AT MILAN, 



Paris, 13 Germinal, Year XIII. 
Wednesday, April 3, 1805. 

. . . M. Salembini * wrote to me from Avallon ; I am 
most grateful for his kindness, and rely on him to make 
up for your laziness by his punctuality. If you have been 
properly supplied with post-horses, you must have slept at 
Lyons on Sunday night ; but where are you now ? It 
was thought at St. Cloud that you would reach Turin on 
Friday ; but, for my part, I do not hope it ; post-horses must 
be scarce and the roads bad. I can not think you will reach 
Turin before Sunday, and only then if no accident has oc- 
curred to detain you. You see by all I write that I have but 
one idea, and I would therefore deny myself the happiness of 
writing to you and remain silent until I am more at ease, 
only that you will want to hear some news of us. But I 
must try to speak of other things, and will avoid, if I can, 
making you a sharer in my trouble. But you must be indul- 

* M. Salembini was a retired officer, whom my grandfather had taken with 
him as traveling companion and secretary. This gave rise to some difficulties, 
as will be seen, and as has been mentioned in the Memoirs. He had a sister 
and two little girls, of whom more hereafter. 



34 LETTERS OF MADAME BE REMUS AT. 

gent until I know you are at Turin ; until then I have but 
one subject of thought. 

The next thing will be to regard my fears as presenti- 
ments! But hitherto I know to what to attribute them, 
and when I am calmer I will tell you why your absence is 
more painful to me this time than ever before, and why I 
am absolutely unhappy without you. 

The Emperor left Fontainebleau this morning ; the Arch- 
chancellor, whom I met at Mme. Devanies's, told me he 
believed the Emperor's absence would last three months, 
although his Majesty had told him he should be back at 
the end of two, that he had no intention of visiting the de- 
partments of the south, and that the Empress expected to 
return on June 15th, If no special accident happens to you, 
through your mode of traveling, I shall be very glad that 
you have gone on first. You can have no idea of the confu- 
sion and disorder this journey is entailing ; yours was noth- 
ing at all in comparison. Everybody is grumbling and al- 
ready tired out, and they must thank God if they all come 
back safe. He knows what I ask of Him. You first, and 
then the master of us all. But I need not make myself anx- 
ious on his account ; there are plenty of persons devoted to 
him, and eager to bring him back safe to us. It is for your 
health and your enjoyment that all my prayers are offered ; 
first, that you may meet with no accident, and then that you 
may enjoy yourself. Yes, my dearest, enjoy yourself ; I 
love you enough to wish that you may be amused. Let me 
bear all the pain of separation, so that your share be the 
pleasure of the journey. I shall be quite satisfied with this 
division. 

I inclose a letter from Mile. Mars ; * Corvisart asks 
your attention to it. He is to start in about three weeks, 
and will tell you how he leaves me. If my mind were at 
ease, I should be pretty well. 

* It is scarcely necessary to say that Mile. Mars was the well-known tragic 
actress, then at the zenith of her beauty and talents. 



REGRETS. 35 

Adieu. I will write no more, because I can but repeat 
myself. I will chatter away when my anxiety is relieved ; 
until then, I will only write in order to say that I love you 
and am well in health. I may say the same for Charles ; 
Albert is getting on wonderfully; my mother scolds me, 
sends you her love, and says she ought to have been an old 
maid. 



XIY. 

Paris, Saturday, 16 Germinal, Year XIII. 
{April 6, 1805.) 

I HAD need of your letter. I was widowed and lonely, 
and my days hung heavily. I feel better now ; your letter 
will keep me company. You know that I shall put it quite 
near me at night, that I may fall asleep thinking of you, and 
awake with the same thought in the morning. Oh, how sad 
a thing is absence ! and to what end ? Men throw away their 
happiness as they do their money ; they squander both on an 
uncertain future, to which they sacrifice the present, which 
only is their own. They lose three or four months in a year 
living far avray from those they love ; they take change for 
their gold without looking at it ; and life and fortune alike 
pass away from them unnoticed. 

This is my third letter to you since you left me ; but I 
do not feel great pleasure in writing, because my thoughts 
are always fixed on the dangers of your journey. In ten or 
twelve days' time, when I know you are safe at Milan, and I 
can rest from all your bad nights, your joltings, and your 
shakings, if not the worse accidents of which I tremble to 
think, then I can chat with you unrestrainedly ; I shall have 
no other pleasure but that of writing to you, of telling you 
about our children, about myself, the happiness I owe you, 
my most tender love, and, above all, of the confidence I feel 
in your affection for me, which is the foundation of all my joy. 



36 LETTERS OF MADAME DE REMUSAT. 

The Emperor is on the road smce Tuesday, and was to 
sleep last night at Semur ; * he travels slowly, although people 
say he is pressed for time. The want of occupation to which 
I am reduced by his absence and yours, is something new. 
I should be lazy enough to like it, if you were here with me. 
I have thrown myself into the society of the Faubourg,f with- 
out, however, neglecting that other faubourg % to which I owe 
a duty. To-morrow and the next day I shall take leave of 
the Princesses ; then I shall spend a week making a round of 
visits, after which I shall pay no more until you are with me. 
On May 1st I go to Sannois, whence I shall, once a week, 
bring Charles to M. Halma. Mme. d'Houdetot* insists on 
having the whole family with her. I intend returning to 
Paris in June, and you, I hope, will decide what we are to do 
in July. 

I have now given you an accurate account of my actions. 
If you wish for news of my thoughts, I may say that they 
will be entirely of you, for Charles is my principal occupa- 
tion, and naturally leads me to think of his father. Once 
more let me repeat that, when my anxiety is relieved, I will 
write to you about him, the progress he makes, and liis little 
brother's health. Until then all is stifled, and my heart tor- 
tured by anxiety ; I get through the days, not in order to 
reach the happy one of your return — it is too far off, I dare 
not think of it — but to reach that one when you will write, 
"My dear one, I have arrived and am well." Picture to 
yourself, if you can, how these words will be received, and 
then say, if you dare, that you are not loved as you deserve. 

* Semur, chief place of a district in the department of Cote-d'Or, on the road 
to Italy. 

f The Faubourg St. Germain. 

:|: The Faubourg St. Honore, where most of the Government officials resided. 

* Mme. d'Houdetot, the same mentioned by J. J. Rousseau in his " Confes- 
sions," although already aged and in very moderate circumstances, had a country- 
house according to the old style at Sannois, where she entertained a numerous 
and distinguished company. It was one of the places where the scholarly society 
of the eighteenth century still survived and lived again. She is spoken of at 
creat length in the Memoirs. 



A MOTHER-IN-LAW. 37 

My motlier embraces you. She makes charming com- 
plaints of her misfortune in having daughters ; she says that 
she is no sooner easy about the ruts on your road, than her 
sympathy is claimed for the inundations on M. de I!^an- 
souty's.* She writes to her friends, begging them not to 
leave her a prey to our dismal lamentations, but is so kind- 
hearted in reality, that she always ends by sharing our 
anxiety. Morning and evening we look through the " Post 
Guide," and alarm ourselves at any sign of the "fourth 
horse " ; f we make inquiries in every direction as to the 
dangers of the route ; there is, I know, between Chambery 
and Mont Cenis, a bad road, with snow and steep descents, 
and no wall on the outer edge. Did you leave the carriage 
at all those bad places ? Did you think of your wife, whose 
life depends upon your health, and who could not bear up 
against any addition to her troubles ? I expect you will find 
all this very tiresome reading, these dangers being already in 
the past. But what can I do ? It would be easy to prove to 
each of us that we are really happy and really understand 
each other, only when we are not parted. 



XY. 

TO M. DE KEMUSAT, AT MILAN. 

Paris, Wednesday, 20 Germinal, Year XIII. 
(April 10, 1805.) 

After thoroughly enjoying your letter from Lyons, I 
have fallen back into a state of nervous anxiety, which will on- 
ly cease, as I have already told you, when I get a letter from 
you from Turin. You must be there, I think, now. . . . 

* General Nanaouty was then on his way home from Hanover. 

f In those days an extra horse used to be charged for by the postmasters, 
and called the third or i\ie fourth horse, when the road was heavy or fatiguing. 
This horse was paid for, but was never harnessed or seen. 



38 LETTERS OF MADAME DE REMITS AT. 

The weather here is splendid ; you must be enjoying the 
beautiful Italian spring, and I hope such a lovely climate will 
reward you for all your trouble in getting to it. Enjoy it 
all, my dearest, the beautiful scenery and the pure sky ; I 
love you sufficiently to wish you may have pleasure, although 
far from me. I know so well in what you place your happi- 
ness, that I do not desire any proof of your regrets that 
would interfere with your enjoyment of the journey. There 
is one kind of amusement only that I can not, in conscience, 
allow you, and I trust you will know how to resist any whis- 
pers of mio bene that may be offered to you emphasized by 
sweet voices and bright eyes. 

I hope your first care was to write to me from Turin. 
Indeed, it is necessary to me ; for to be ignorant of the fate 
of him I love best in the world is a very heavy burden. But 
I am again complaining ! I do wish to spare you my lamen- 
tations ; I strive against them as much as possible, but I can 
not command my feelings. How truly I feel that you are 
my life and my all, and that if sometimes the hours fly past 
without my appreciating your beloved presence as I ought, 
it is because our poor human nature uses happiness as it uses 
health : we learn its full value only when some accident de- 
prives us of it. 

I must tell you, by way of diverting my thoughts, that 
M. Guys * has gone at last, that the Emperor left the affair in 
the hands of the Archchancellor, and that it was settled on 
the spot. They are a fortunate family, and yom* sister shares 
in their happiness. By-the-way, she is sorry that you did 
not take Josephinf with you, and so am I. He would have 
been one more man, and the dangers you have been exposed 
to, owing to the treasure in your charge,:}: have not been the 
least of my anxieties, especially as the newspapers very stu- 

* M. Guys belonged to a Marseilles family, many members of which have 
distinguished themselves as consuls in the Levant, 
■j- Josephin de Foresta, his nephew. 
\ The crown diamonds and the regalia. 



CONCERNING COURT DRESS. 39 

pidly announced your departure. Everybody thought this 
very imprudent. 

If you would like news of your tripot, I can tell you that 
M. Cheron's piece was a great success ; * that it is in excellent 
verse, that two acts are extremely clever, that everybody 
speaks well of it, that Geoffroy praises it highly, and that 
we hope you will call the proper attention to it at the 
right opportunity. I have no further information respecting 
the comedy ; my door has been closed against all actors and 
actresses since your departure, and I begged Maherault to say 
that I was not in Paris. 

I send you some memoranda on the unfortunate affair of 
M. de Yilleblanche. When you see Maret, tell him I was 
much obliged by his letter, but that in informing me that 
Mme. de Latouche had obtained a pension of three thousand 
francs, he does not fulfill his engagements with me, because 
that lady is step-mother to the Admiral, being the second wife 
of his father, and that I am petitioning for Mme. de Treville, 
his aunt. I see that Maret, and consequently the Emperor, 
has confounded the two, and thus I have unintentionally ob- 
tained a favor for a lady whomi do not know. 



XYI. 

TO M. DE EEMUSAT, AT MILAN. 

t 

Paris, Saturday, 22 Germinal, Year XIII. 
{April 12, 1805.) 

I SAW Isabey f this morning. Your mantles will be sent 
off next Saturday. He has lost no time, and seemed to me 

* M. Cheron, a great friend of my parents, wrote a piece in imitation of 
" The School for Scandal," called " Le Tartufe des Moeurs." The play was so 
good, that the Emperor appointed the author to the Prefecture of La Vienne. 
He and Picard were joint authors of the comedy of " Duhautcours." 

f Isabey, the artist, was designing the embroidery for the Court dresses. 



40 LETTERS OF MADAME DE R&MU8AT. 

rather annoyed at having to go ; he no longer cares about it. 
The Princess Elisa* will start on Thursday. I went to see 
her the day before yesterday ; she was alone, and had given 
orders that I should be admitted. I remained with her an 
hour and a half ; she was most kind. When you see her 
you can say that I told you ; she is really very amiable. 

I must tell you, in confidence, something that happened 
to Carrion-Nisas and Regnault de Saint- Jean d'Angely, f 
which is is just now amusing all Paris. The day before the 
Emperor's departure, they each received an autograph letter 
from the Chamberlains on duty^ requesting their attendance 
that same evening at Fontainebleau. The Emperor had sent 
for them. You may imagine their state of excitement, each 
rushing to M. de Lavalette, asking for horses, and making as 
much fuss as you please. They set off at about nine in the 
evening. Carrion was the first to reach Fontainebleau ; no 
Chamberlain to be seen, but Diiroc comes forward, and, after 
inspecting the proffered letter, goes to the Emperor to an- 
nounce him. " I did not send for him," said his Majesty ; " it 
is some mistake ; I have not time to see him. Put him up 
somewhere, and he can go back in the morning." Carrion 
laughs over his nocturnal drive, and retires very good-humor- 
edly. At midnight a second carriage dashes up, Kegnault 
springs out, asks for M. Duroc, to whom he hands his letter, 
and is announced to the Emperor. " Depend upon it, it is a 
jpoisson cfAvril^'' % says the latter. M. Duroc emerges from 
the cabinet. " It is a poisson dJ'A'vril^^ he says. Regnault 
dashes headlong into his carriage, and drives full speed 
back to Paris, to find out who has played this trick. The 
postilions, who had not had an easy time of it in coming to 
Fontainebleau, so great had been his eagerness to get on, 

* Elisa Bacciochi, the Emperor's sister. 

f Kegnault de Saint-Jean d'Angely was President of the Council of State. 
Carrion-Nisas, first an officer, then a Tribune, and then again in the army, was 
born in iVe*?. He died at Montpellier in 1841. 

\ April fool. 



NEWS FROM TURIN. 41 

repeat, as they crack their whips, "It's apoisson d^Avril/^' 
The Minister of Police says the same thing, and it is very 
soon echoed by all Paris. I say so too ; but you must not 
mention it at Milan, for the Emperor was, very justly, dis- 
pleased with this stupid joke. 

I inclose a poetical petition from a young man who has 
called on me a few times since you left — M. Morel de Clin- 
charap. He tells me you received him kindly, and promised 
him your patronage, and he wants his petition to be present- 
ed to the Emperor by the Empress, together with the little 
poem that I send you. He has written me some verses 
too; he seems to possess facility and some talent, if I may 
judge by an epistle he showed me, addressed to Mile. Duches- 
nois. Do as you think fit about the petition ; but I promised 
to commend it to you. 



XYIL 

TO M. DE KEMUSAT, AT MILAN. 

Paris, Tuesday, 26 Germinal, Year XIII. 
{April 16, 1805.) 

At last I have news from Turin ; yesterday I received a 
packet from M. Salembini, which has made me very happy. 
You have crossed those dreadful mountains, and that terrible 
Mont Cenis that caused me so much anxiety, and for the last 
six days you have been quietly at Milan. I hope you will now 
be thinking of writing to me, for since you left home, nine- 
teen days ago, I have had only one little letter ; you rely too 
much on the zeal of your secretary. . . . 

I must tell you that in my next parcel I intend to inclose 
a letter to the Empress, in which I shall repeat part of what 
I said in the one I wrote to her some time ago, and which I 
did not send. You will read it, and then seal it up, because 



42 LETTERS OF MADAME DE R£:MUSAT: 

I don't want you to seem to know anything about it. If you 
approve, you will give the sealed parcel to Deschamps, at any 
time you think fit. 



XYIII. 

TO M. DE BEMXrSAT, AT MILAN. 

Paris, ^9 Germinal., Year XIII. 
{Friday, April 19, 1805.) 

When this letter reaches you, you will be with the Em- 
peror. The newspapers say that he is to arrive at Milan on 
1 Prairial.* It would appear, therefore, that his progress is 
more rapid than was intended at first. People are wondering 
here what can be the cause of such haste, and, as they are 
never at a loss, the Parisians are saying that preparations for 
war will bring you all back sooner than was expected. To 
see the delight which some persons take in confirming these 
rumors of war, one would never think that Frenchmen were 
to be engaged in it. Thus it is that party spirit destroys 
every generous sentiment. Talking of sentiment, we had a 
little dispute yesterday morning with mamma and a few other 
persons ; one must quarrel sometimes, you know. We were 
speaking of the love of country, and my mother contended, 
half in jest, that there was no such thing as love of country ; 
that it was simply a fine theoretical sentiment, and that, for 
her part, she should always prefer the country in which she 
was happiest, to any other. Mme. de Yintimille and I argued, 
like good Frenchwomen, on behalf of love of one's country, 
and declared that we had our share, although it was but a 
small one, in the glory of the nation. My mother was amus- 
ing herself by displaying the greatest indifference to our finfe 
sentiments, when all at once Charles, who had been playing 

* The Emperor reached Milan some days earlier than this, on 18 Floreal 
(May 8th), instead of 1 Prairial (May 21, 1806). 



PATRIOTISM. 43 

in a corner, got up, and approaching his grandmother, said to 
her in a tone that I can not describe to you, " O Gaga, don't 
you love your country?" and then he burst into tears. I 
can not explain why he was so much moved, but the saying 
gave me pleasure, and I pass it on to you. 

I took him to the theatre yesterday evening, and was quite 
pleased with his behavior during the performance of " La 
Caverne," in which there is much noise of firearms, and a 
very exciting combat in the last scene. The boy did not 
show the least fear of the firing ; his little face turned rather 
red, because of the restraint he put upon himself, but he came 
well out of the ordeal. 

While on the subject of plays, I wrote to you, did I not, 
about M. Cheron's ? It is most successful ; at the fourth per- 
formance the author was still called for ; try to make the most 
of this. Only two days ago, Regnault de Saint-Jean d'An- 
gely said that the play was by a man not only talented but 
good ; that M. Cheron was a most estimable character, and 
had acted an upright part all through the Revolution. 

I have seen Maherault ; your actors are constantly asking 
him for leave of absence. They would like to come to me, 
but I have declined to receive them, thinking you would pre- 
fer my taking this course. I only saw Mme. Suin,* whose 
benefit-night was very brilliant, and who came to thank me. 
I found her a really clever woman ; she told me a great deal 
about the Comedie Frangaise, and of the advantages belong- 
ing to such a post as yours. " In fact," said she, pointedly, 
" since I have lived in Paris, I have seen many ministers and 
many courtiers fall into disgrace, but the gentlemen of the 
Chamber have always been in favor, and the post of pur- 
veyor of amusement, held by M. de Eemusat, is almost always 
a road to fortune." I got out of Mme. Suin's benefit very 

*Mme. Suin had come out at the Comedie Fran§aise in 1'7'75, as a leading ac- 
tress ; at the end of her career she undertook the noble mothers and the tragedy 
confidants. The performance in question was her farewell to the stage. She 
was an intelligent and estimable woman. 



44: LETTERS OF MADAME DE RJ^MUSAT. 

well ; I did not go ; and I found some people to iill my box 
and pay my share of the benefit. 

In twelve days from this, I am to take up my abode at 
Sannois.* I intend to see Lavalette to-morrow to try and 
obtain an exception for my letters ; I shall tell him that you 
often receive letters on the affairs of the Emperor, and that 
you require me to answer yours at once. If I can obtain 
nothing from him, I shall ask Mme. de Segur to take charge 
of my letters. I intend to pass the month of May, with the 
children, at Sannois ; the country will do us all good. . . . 



XIX. 

TO M. DE KEMUSAT, AT MILAN. 

Paris, Tuesday, S Floreal, Year XIII. 
{April 24, 1805.) 

Eefoee replying to all the interesting details you give 
me, with an account of the dull trifles that fill up my life, I 
must tell you how grateful I am for the affection of which 
you so tenderly assure me, and how happy I am to be so 
greatly beloved. Every word that you write prints itseK on 
my heart with all the force with which it emanates from 
yours. However strong your expressions, I believe them to 
be true. I say to myself that happiness exists for us only 
when we are together, that we need each other's presence^ 
and that, though now separated, we are so continually to- 
gether in spirit, that we shall meet again in a few months' 
time without a moment's interruption of that feeling which 
makes the happiness of my existence. My dearest, put the 
same faith in my tender affection that I put in yours. Your 
absence and my loneliness make me feel how limitless it is. 
The long days, the sad nights that I pass without you, the 

* Mme. d'Houdetot's well-known country place. 



PRINCESS ELISA. 45 

solitude of my room, the study where you are not, the big 
empty rooms, the entire liberty which I know not how to 
employ — all these things continually draw my thoughts to- 
ward you, while numberless circumstances must turn yours 
away from me. I speak and think and feel like La Fon- 
taine's pigeon, " L'' absence est le plus grand des maux^'' and 
especially for the one who is left behind. 

You are good to give me so many details ; I quite appre- 
ciate them. I am surprised at what you say of the weather ; 
I fancied you were in mid-spring, and the accounts of the 
snow and the cold at Turin upset all our calculations. We 
had some splendid weather here, and during Holy Week a 
taste of perfect summer, but for the last week it has been 
cold again Thus it is with life ; a little sunshine and then 
the cold returns, to last much longer than the warmth. 
Everything changes and passes away, except your affection 
and consequently my happiness. 

If you care for pStoffes, as Mme. de Sevigne would say, I 
must tell you that Mme. de Souza has at length taken her 
departure, but in great distress because M. de Souza refused 
to take Charles de Flahault with him. As a stranger, and 
also as an ambassador, he thought that would not have been 
a prudent step. Our friends are all in confusion, and don't 
know where to settle down. Gallois has not yet appeared ; 
M. Leroi is going away ; Bertrand is half crying, half laugh- 
ing, over the departure of Count Rumford, who has returned 
to Munich to preside over some academy or other, and so has 
left the field free to others. The Abbe Morellet is, I fancy, 
rather struck with Princess Elisa.* She was uncommonly 
gracious to him, and even told him to write to her. Do not 
forget to remember me to the princess. 

Our friends the Cherons have gone ; don't forget them. 
M. Cheron's play is more popular than ever ; try to get a 
place for him. Kow that the Forests are being established, 

* Princess Elisa Bacciochi, Grand-Duchess of Lucca, was of a literary turn, 
and associated with very distinguished people. 



4:6 LETTERS OF MADAME DE REMUSAT. 

and the Imperial Hunts and Capitaineries,* there must be 
some opening. Do not be vexed with me for adding my im- 
portunities to those with which you are already overwhelmed. 

I do not know whether you see any French newspapers. 
If you do, you will have read a circumstantial account of 
the Emperor's extreme graciousness at Brienne.f Mme. de 
Brienne was beside herself with delight. It is true that it 
would be impossible to be more gracious than was the Em- 
peror on that occasion. I saw some letters to M. de Damas, 
full of charming little speeches made by him ; he laid himself 
out to be agreeable, and the effect has been excellent in our 
critical society. Our severest lady critics owned the amia- 
bility of our sovereign, and they are willing now to admit 
that he can make himself pleasant when he likes, but they 
add that he does not always like. What a treatise I could 
write on human vanity ! What examples I could find in the 
very society that values itself so highly ! There is not one 
woman of our acquaintance who would not have been as 
much enchanted as Mme. de Brienne, yet they are all laugh- 
ing at her enthusiasm. 

Salembini writes to me about the shells and mosaics of 
Milan. With regard to the latter, General Caffarelli X sug- 
gested, after you had gone, that I should allow him to order 
a set for me at Home, saying that those he had brought to his 
wife are very handsome, and had only cost twenty-five louis. 
I agreed, and asked him to mention it to you. Please ask 
him for the little memorandum I gave him, and if you find 
that the set will come to too high a price, you might leave 
out the tiara and the bracelets. When we were at St. Cloud, 
I told the Empress that General Caffarelli had undertaken to 

* " Autrefois charge de capitaine des chassesy — Littre, 

\ Mme. de Brienne, niece to the Archbishop of Sens, was related to the Da- 
mas family. The Emperor, wishing to i-evisit his old military school, had spent 
some hours at the Chateau de Brienne. 

\ General Augustus Caffarelli, aide-de-camp to the Emperor, died a peer of 
France, later than 1830. He was the youngest of five brothers. The eldest 
died a few years ago, Councilor-General of the Hautc-Garonne. 



MARMONTEUS MEMOIRS. 47 

bring home mosaics for Alix and myself ; thereupon she very 
kindly said she would take that upon herseK, so you may con- 
sult her on the selection. 

Adieu, since one must always end with that sad word. I 
was reading to-day one of Massillon's sermons, a favorite of 
mine, on the best way to bear the afflictions of this life, and 
on the thanks we should return to God when he vouchsafes 
to try our faith by the sorrows he sends us. After that I 
can not but endeavor to submit to the grief of separation, but 
I am far from having arrived at perfection. . . . 



XX. 

TO M. DE REMUSAT, AT MILAN. 

Paris, Sunday, 8 Floreal, Year XIII. 
{April 28, 1805.) 

... I HAVE just been reading Marmontel's Memoirs 
of the Regency. You may perhaps have the work at Milan ; 
it seems to me well written, but ill conceived. I am quite 
shocked at the judgment he passes on Louis XI Y. He speaks 
of him with severity, that contrasts with his indulgence to- 
ward the Regent, If you read the work, remark the pas- 
sage he quotes from Saint-Simon, concerning the " Bed of Jus- 
tice " that was held, to remove the education of Louis XY. 
out of the hands of the Due du Maine, and to restore prece- 
dence to the peers over the legitimized children of the King. 
The malignant joy felt by the Duke, not only at this victory, 
but at the grief and depression of the vanquished party, the 
intoxication of vanity which he owns to having experienced 
— all those disgraceful passions, engendered by the pride of 
man, disgusted me so much, that I felt quite sick of ambition 
and its aims. Far from us be all enjoyment procured at the 
expense of others ! We can be happy, I hope, at a less cost, 
and without causing a single tear to flow on our account. 



48 LETTERS OF MADAME BE R^MUSAT. 

M. de Salembini writes that you are suffering slightly 
from gout ; this, added to your silence, makes me uneasy. 
At such a distance everything becomes magnified, and I feel 
that, against my reason, I am needlessly anxious. Mme. De- 
vaines, who came to see me yesterday, says conjugal affection 
makes me very tiresome ; but adds that you must be very 
amiable to be so much beloved. She introduced her daugh- 
ter-in-law into society yesterday, and seemed rather proud of 
being so beautiful herself and the chaperon of so plain a 
young woman.* Her son often comes to see me ; he is sen- 
sible and kind-hearted. One must overlook a few little oddi- 
ties that do no harm to anybody, and then one sees he is a 
reasonable man. I like him. He seems also to be pleased 
to be with me ; and, moreover, ,'he loves you with his whole 
heart. This last is a recommendation I can not resist ; any 
one who appreciates you has a claim on my affectionj 

Adieu. I am going to pay some visits, because I leave 
Paris in a week, and must bid farewell to all my friends. I 
intend to remain all May at Sannois, and I shall find there, 
if I choose to seek them, many sweet recollections, and per- 
haps some legitimate regrets. 

I inclose a letter for the Empress, which I should like 
you to hand to her at once, and some days before that which 
Corvisart will take to you. As for the latter, it is undated, 
and you can give it when you like. 



XXI. 

TO M. DE EEMUSAT, AT MILAN. 

Paris, Wednesday, 11 Florealy Year XIII. 
{May 1, 1805) 

. . . There is much talk now of the Toulon fleet, of 
the wonderful success of all the Emperor's designs, and the 

* M. Devaines's first wife, Mile. Malherbe, was considered plain. 



THE TOULON FLEET. 49 

extraordinary incapacity of the English, in always letting us 
slip between their fingers. There are different views on the 
subject. It is hoped, generally speaking, that our two sorties 
will have an effect on the English Government, and give 
some chance of peace. On the other hand, the gloomy and 
discontented politicians assert that the English are only al- 
lowing us to assemble our naval forces in order to attack us 
at sea ; but, on the whole, there is a hopeful feeling. For my 
own part, you may imagine, from my love of our country 
and my hatred of England, that I am delighted at this prom- 
ising beginning ; and I must admit that I assumed an air of 
superiority toward certain Anglo-maniacs whom you know. 

I have very little social news for you. There is hardly 
anything going on this season, and everybody is on the eve 
of departure. I can only tell you of a few marriages, and 
of some interesting events that are expected to come off. 
Alexandre Laborde is engaged to Mme. Gilbert.* She is a 
very pretty woman, the widow of that M. Gilbert whom we 
saw with Mme. de Yannoise.f Then, Mme. Juste :j: is in an 
interesting condition, and (which has caused more sensation 
in the neighborhood) Mme. de Lamoignon is in the same 
state.* M. Mole is much depressed, people say, because 
Providence has left him out, as regards this particular bless- 

* Mme. de Laborde, who died in 1855, was Mile. Sabathier de Cabre. She 
was tall, handsome, amiable, and an agreeable woman. Her son, Leon de La- 
borde, has been a deputy, a Member of the Institute, and Keeper of Archives. 

f Mme. de Vannoise, nee Parseval-Deschenes, was a cousin of ours. She was 
considered an attractive woman. She had been married to a disagreeable pro- 
vincial husband, from whom she was divorced, and she was rather liked than 
otherwise in the family. Her daughter Constance was married, at a subsequent 
pariod, to M. de Villeblanche. The two sons of Mme. de Yannoise entered the 
army. One of them perished in the Russian campaign. 

X Mme. Juste de Noailles was the daughter of Archambauld de Perigord, the 
brother of M. de Talleyrand. 

* Mme. Christian de Lamoignon was sister to M. Mole, who at that time was 
childless. She retired into private life at an early age, on account of bad health. 
She had but one daughter, who married M, Adolphe de Segur, second son of 
Octave de Segur. 

3 



50 LETTERS OP MADAME BE REMUS AT. 

ing. M. de Segur,* the Grand Master's brother, is absolutely 
dying, and it is probable that the Grand Master will not find 
him alive on his return. Is not life compassed in these few 
lines — its commencement and its end ? This would be a fine 
opportunity for a little moral essay ; but I will spare you, be- 
cause, to quote our friend La Bruyere, everything has already 
been said. 

Tell Mme. Savary f that I often speak of her two little 
girls to Bigot, and that they are quite well. He is anxious 
about Mme. Davoust's daughter,:!: who is very delicate, and 
over whom he watches carefully. 

Adieu. I must leave you, or rather I must leave this 
letter, which will soon be speeding toward you. What 
more shall I say ? No, I will say nothing, not another word, 
for fear of garrulousness ; it is too soon, as yet, for that. 



XXIX. 

TO M. DE KEMUSAT, AT MILAN. 

Sannois, Friday, 27 Floreal, Year XIII. 
{May 17, 1805.) 

I HAVE just finished giving Charles his lessons, and can 
now have a chat with you, by way of recreation. Next to 
seeing you and hearing you speak, there is no greater pleas- 
ure for me than that of Avriting to you ; so I give you leave 
not to be more grateful than the occasion demands, provided 
you appreciate the reason why it is so delightful an occupa- 
tion to me. 

The children and I are extremely well. A country life 
suits us so perfectly that I regret we can not pass the whole 

* The brother of the Grand Master of Ceremonies was the Vicomte de Segur, 
a man of talent, who wrote some pretty vaudevilles. 
f Mme. Savary, Duchess de Rovigo, nee Fandous. 
X Mme. Davoust was the first wife of Marshal Davoust, Prince d'Eckmuhl. 



TEE POLI'GNAGS. 51 

summer here — less on my own account, although my health 
has improved, than for the sake of our two darlings, who 
are in splendid condition. I must tell you, too, that I went 
to St. Leu * yesterday morning. The improvements in the 
grounds are making it a most delightful place. Prince Louis 
has purchased a large part of the forest. He has eight hun- 
dred acres of wood, through which he is opening the pret- 
tiest roads, and a broad stream runs through the middle. I 
repeated to the Princess all you told me about her brother. 
She was much affected, and the more so that she had been 
distressed by receiving quite different accounts. She is de- 
void of all ambition, but feels and suffers from the dangers 
and stumbling-blocks to which her brother is exposed, in 
the high position to which he has attained. She conversed 
with me, with great good sense, on the drawbacks and ad- 
vantages of her own position. Although at an age when 
illusions are natural, she seems to me to be absolutely free 
from them, and to weigh, too wisely, perhaps, the enjoy- 
ments we meet with on life's somewhat thorny road. I was 
speaking to her of an ill-natured and certainly unfounded 
rumor, which has been ridiculously exaggerated in Paris, 
and which I heard from persons who profess to be well in- 
formed. I must repeat it to you, although I think it most 
absurd. It is this : 

There are proofs, it is said, that the Polignacs f and 
others imprisoned in the fortress at Ham were planning an 
escape, that they carried on a correspondence with the 
Princes, that they had the command of money and endeav- 
ored to bribe the soldiers, and that Prince Murat has had 
them removed to the Temple. It is likewise asserted that 
the Empress has continued to evince great interest in them ; 
and that there are letters from her which would be com- 
promising. 

* Princess Louis Bonaparte's country-house. 

f The Due de Polignac and his brother, whose lives had been granted them 
by the Emperor, were at first imprisoned at Ham, but were soon removed to the 
gentler durance of a maison de sante. 



52 LETTERS OF MADAME DE MMUSAT. 

I am ignorant whether MM. de Polignac could be capa- 
ble of such dishonorable conduct. In times such as these, 
when revolution has left demoralization behind it, one can 
not, unfortunately, rely on the principles of any ; but, be- 
sides the absurdity of the complicity attributed to the Em- 
press, you and I know how very little she is in the habit of 
writing at all. I have been present occasionally when she 
has received Mme. de Polignac with the kindness inherent 
in her, and which is always doubled by the sight of any kind 
of misfortune. I hardly think this tenderness of heart is 
to be imputed to her as a crime, nor can I conceive, if the 
rest be true, how any one can have invented so absurd a 
calumny. I have not the means of clearing it up at present ; 
I will even admit that I am so happy in this quiet country 
life, only occupied with you and our children, that I shrink 
from anything that might disturb my tranquillity. I can not 
help trembling at the thought of soon returning to the vor- 
tex, where I am often so oppressed and agitated, that I have 
barely time to give a thought to the beloved occupations for 
which I am so well suited. The latter part of my stay at 
Court was so disturbed, so gloomy ! It was then I began to 
lose that happy confidence with which one first enters so- 
ciety, and with which one parts so regretfully. It seems to 
me that the troubles of which I was a spectator, the quarrels, 
the intrigues, sometimes afiiected even the uprightness of my 
own intentions and conduct, and have rent asunder the de- 
lusive veil through which I used to love to look on human 
nature. It was to you, to my mother, to kind and loving 
friends, that I owed the unsuspecting disposition of which 
the Court is depriving me. From childhood I breathed an 
atmosphere of affection and indulgence. I was happy later, 
in your tenderness and in the tranquil existence which was 
passed at your side. I was ignorant of evil ; above all, I 
believed it could never reach myself. I suffered, therefore, 
and suffered acutely, when I saw that malice did not spare 
me. I walk in fear, so to speak ; I prepare beforehand to 



''LES TEMPLIEBSy 53 

ward off future attacks ; I form plans for the future, first of 
which is to lead the most retired life possible, so as to give 
the smallest opportunity for the accusations of envy. 

But I perceive that I have written myself into a vein of 
sadness, which has led me far from my subject. Try to do 
what you can about the wicked gossip of which I have told 
you ; unfortunately, I heard it from persons on whom I can 
depend, and, whoever may be its author, it is of a mischiev- 
ous tendency. 

There is much talk in Paris of the tragedy of "Les 
Templiers," and consequently of the Templars themselves. 
People dispute about their innocence and the justice or in- 
justice of their trial and sentence. M. Paynouard is also 
attacked, but the general feeling is in his favor. I send you 
a feuilleton of the " Publiciste " which seems to me impar- 
tially written. Every one whom I have seen admires the 
tragedy; M. Cheron, Alix, Mme. de Yintimille, and M. 
Mole admit, however, that it is wanting in movement. But 
at last we have a well- written play, and in French ! It is 
said that the author has written several others, all on French 
historical subjects ; this is delightful. He is also writing an 
epic on the Maccabees ; we can hear some of it if you like, 
because Chaptal * is determined to introduce the author to 
me. 

Alix arrived here yesterday. Our four boys, for I in- 
clude Henrijf are enjoying themselves thoroughly ; when I 
see them so unconscious of misfortune, so careless as to the 
future, so gay and happy, I feel my heart beat with pleasure 
and pain at once. "What will be their fate ? What future 
lies hidden in this stormy present ? Shall we have exhausted 
both their share and our own of anxiety and trouble ? 

* Chaptal, a distinguished man of science, was born in I'ZSB. He was 
first Professor of Chemistry at Montpellier, then Member of the Institute, and 
finally Minister of the Interior. He died in 1832. 

■f- The four boys were Charles and Albert de Remusat ; Etienne, or, according 
to the English fashion, Stephen de Nausouty, their first cousin ; and Henri 
Cheron. 



54: LETTERS OF MADAME DE REMUS AT. 

You see I am in a rather melancholy mood. I own it. 
You only could disperse the little cloud which, as Mme. de 
Sevigne says, makes my reflections of a grayish-hrown. ^But, 
whatever my mood, you are never a loser ; my heart never 
changes. Perhaps melancholy even adds another degree to 
tenderness Jeither because the latter is an effect of the former, 
or that it consoles and brightens the gloomy reflections caused 
by a somewhat lengthy contemplation of the afflictions of 
this life. 



XXX. 

TO M. DE EEMUSAT, AT MILAN. 

Sannois, Monday, 30 Florecd, Year XIII. 
{May 20, 1805.) 

Mon ami., I have this instant received a letter of the 23d, 
announcing the sudden return of Salembini. I am grieved 
and alarmed at the few words you write me, because I seem 
to read between the lines that he has been in fault, and 
gravely so, to incur so prompt a punishment. I will not, 
however, judge him too severely^ without further informa- 
tion, and it would pain me to have to doubt the principles 
or the attachment of a man to whom you have done so many 
services. I think he is much given to vanity, and I will own 
to you that I have observed, in the few letters that I received 
from him, some indications of want of balance that surprised 
me, and also of. a disposition to take offense at trifles. I had 
quite expected that this might prove a source of annoyance 
to you, but I was far from anticipating what you now tell 
me. At any rate, I will see him when he reaches Paris ; I 
can not be hard upon him now that he is in trouble. I will 
ask him some questions, and, if he has sinned against our- 
selves only, I feel I can not condemn him altogether. From 
your habitual gentleness toward myself I have learned indul- 
gence for others that I hope to retain all my life long. Al- 



8ALEMBINI. 55 

though I look upon ingratitude as the most odious of vices, 
yet it fills me rather with pity than with anger, and on this 
occasion, when Salembini perhaps is not wholly exempt from 
it, I will not allow myself to reproach him, if he seems sorry ; 
and this especially on account of his sister, whom I like 
much. I have had frequent opportunities of seeing her, 
because her brother used to send me all his letters for her ; 
and very long they were, if I may judge by their thickness. 
They were very frequent too. Perhaps these letters have 
been opened ? Perhaps their contents were indiscreet ? I 
can not tell. Mile. Salembini never opened them in my 
presence ; she contented herself with saying that her brother 
spoke highly of you and appreciated your friendship, and I 
believed her, because that was but natural and right, because 
every one who knows you ought to love and esteem you. 

I regret this event very much, and I regret it for my own 
sake also. He was very attentive in giving me news of you, 
and you are too much occupied for me to hope to hear very 
often directly from you. Under present circumstances you 
are far less to be pitied than I ; first, because, whatever you 
may say, you do not want to write to me so much as I want 
to receive your letters ; and, secondly, because your time is 
occupied in the service of the Emperor, whom you love, and 
who, I fancy, is a very potent solace to the pain of absence. 
^Nevertheless, my dear one, notwithstanding the agreeable 
necessity of proving your zeal by your assiduity, think of 
your poor wife, who is very lonely away from you, and whose 
one solitary pleasure is that of receiving your letters. 

From what you tell me, I see that the Emperor has ar- 
rived at Milan as you predicted, that his presence has pro- 
duced its customary effect, and that the Italians, in their turn, 
have been compelled to admire the hero who is going to pro- 
tect them. While on this subject I must tell you that you 
wrote me two very eloquent pages ; your theme inspired you. 
I would almost wager that you are not aware of this ; they 
were dashed off so quickly, because your heart as well as 



56 LETTERS OF MADAME DE R^MUSAT. 

your head guided the pen. Mmi ami, what I liave just said 
would, if uttered aloud, seem like flattery, and yet, between 
us, it is but truth. Here, in the solitude of the iields, I often 
reflect on all the sorrows we have experienced. This neigh- 
borhood reminds me of our misfortunes, and, painful though 
they were, you know by what feelings their recollection has 
been sweetened for me ; but when, after sadly counting 
them over, my thoughts revert to the peaceful times we are 
now enjoying, to the well-regulated liberty that I find all- 
sufficient, to the glory with which my country is covered, 
even to the pomp and magnificence that I like, because they 
are proofs that all is an accomplished fact — in short, w^hen I 
remember that this prosperity is the woi'k of a single man, I 
am aroused to admiration and gratitude. Cher ami, this is 
quite between ourselves, for some persons would impute to 
these sentiments a very different motive from the real one, 
and, besides, it seems to me that praise from the heart is less 
anxious for publicity than that which proceeds from the in- 
tellect. . . . 

Tuesday, 1 Prairial, May 21, 1805. 

" Les Templiers " continues to be a great success. Every 
one says that nothing better has been written for twenty 
years. Opinions differ a little as to the choice of subject and 
the truth of the characters. Parisian critics get warm, it is 
said, over Jacques de Molay and Philippe le Bel, and their 
greater or less guilt ; but the fact remains that the tragedy 
draws immense houses, and is incessantly applauded. 

To return to poor Salembini. Can he have written some 
piece of foolery ? But, then, how comes it that his letters 
were opened, since they were brought by the Emperor's 
couriers ? I am inclined to think it is some wicked calumny ; 
in fact, I am sure he must have been imprudent rather than 
guilty. He always seemed to me such an honorable man.* 

* As M. de Salembini and the trouble he caused are described in the Me- 
moirs, I give this in full, although it is of no interest at present, except as afford- 
ing an additional proof of the distrustfulness and meddlesomeness of the Impe- 



AT ST. LEU. 57 

XXXIII. 

TO M. DE REMUSAT, AT MILAN. 

Sannois, Salurda;j, 5 Prairial, Yea)' XIII. 
{May 25, 1805.) 

I SAW Salembini yesterday. He was quiet enough, relying 
on your friendship and his own innocence. He regrets most 
having occasioned vexation to you, and I was touched by the 
tone in which he said that he could never forgive himself for 
having caused you trouble and annoyance in return for all 
the kindness you had shown him. I endeavored to console 
him ; and, in truth, he appeared so confident, so calm, so en- 
tirely ignorant of any misconduct deserving of the severity 
with which he was banished, that I can not believe him to 
have been anything worse than a little imprudent. 

I am now very anxious to hear from you, and whether 
this unfortunate affair has had any unpleasant consequences. 
You do not mention the Emperor, and this makes me un- 
easy. Ah ! how many vexations and troubles are caused by 
absence ! I can only endure it when I know you are well 
and happy ; but, alas ! my lamentations are unavailing. I 
must wait, I must watch the hours pass by, before I can 
again be with you, and able to speak to you at every mo- 
ment of my life. 

I am dining at St. Leu to-day, in order to take leave of 
the Princess, for I return to Paris on Thursday. We shall 
be speaking of our kind protectress, to whom I beg you will 
frequently speak of me, if she is still at Milan. I hope you 
have given her all my letters. I preferred sending them 
through you, because I feared they might otherwise get lost. 

rial system of police. Salembini had written imprudently, not on politics, but 
on the scandals of the Court. His letters were opened, and he received orders 
to leave. In reading the present correspondence, it is necessary to remember 
that the writers had always to bear in mind the possibility of a similar treat- 
ment of their own letters. 



58 LETTERS OF MADAME DE REMUSAT. 

Tell her how greatly I am attached to her ; how I wish her 
a long-lasting happiness, and that since Thursday I have 
sympathized in all the emotions that she must have experi- 
enced, 

Salembini has described the beautiful presents you are 
bringing me, and for which I am half inclined to scold you. 
Mon ami, you have been extravagant in spending money on 
a wife whose reasonableness you are good enough to praise. 
I was far from wishing for so much, and there was no need 
thus to glorify your return home. On my side, all I can 
offer you in exchange are my two little jewels, Charles and 
Albert, and, like the Eoman lady, I shall say, as I show you 
their fresh and smiling faces, " Here are my treasures, and 
with them the happiness that you have bestowed on me." 

I have just been reading an excellent article on the 
" Templiers." It is in the " Mercure," and is an answer to 
the censure showered on M. Kaynouard by Geoffroy.* That 
wretched journalist took into his head to discover his dreaded 
philosophers among the defenders of the order of Knights 
Templars, and to attribute the wildest projects to the author 
of the tragedy, who endeavors, he said, to move people to 
compassion for their fate. You will have to take part in all 
the dissertations on your return ; for you know it is not al- 
lowable to remain neuter on any subject, and at present dis- 
putes rage almost as fiercely on Philippe le Bel and the 
Templars as on Gliick and Piccini. It must be admitted 
that we are a singular nation in the importance we attach to 
little things, while we often let great ones slip by with 
scarcely a glance. One need only cut off one's dog's tail to 
turn off the attention of the Parisians. But to return to the 
Templars : " Le Mercure " quotes two phrases of Pascal's and 
Bossuet's in their defense, and surely the authority of those 
great writers is sufficient to justify a poet in making them 

* Geoff roy, who was born at Rennes, in 1*743, had succeeded Freron, as edi- 
tor of the " Ann6e Litteraire," and also to his hatred of Voltaire. He was at 
this period editor of the "Journal des Debats." He died in 1814. 



OEOFFROY. 59 

interesting. "The Templars," says Bossuet, "confessed un- 
der tortures, and denied when brought out to die ; there was 
perhaps more of avarice and revenge than of justice in their 
execution." These words occur in an abridged history of 
France, composed for the Dauphin by the Bishop of Meaux, 
and notwithstanding the restrictions that he said he had to 
impose on himself in a work produced under such circum- 
stances. 

Geoffroy can scarcely call these two witnesses, philosophers, 
according, at least, to his own interpretation of the term. 



XXXIY. 

TO M. DE EEMUSAT, AT MILAN. 

Sannois, Tuesdat/, S Frairial, Year XIII. 
{May S8, 1805.) 

. . . YoTJ are severe, I think, in your judgment of Kay- 
nouard ; the piece is much more successful than you fancy. 
Every box was taken, last night, for the sixth performance, 
and people were fighting for admittance at the doors. The 
play is far from being as spiritless as you think. All whom 
I have seen tell me they shed tears over it, and that they 
were moved by the same emotions that Corneille habitually 
arouses. It is written in simple and touching verse ; the sen- 
timents are generous without being bombastic, and such as 
are inspired by religion ; the character of the King is cleverly 
drawn ; in short, the interest is sustained for five acts without 
love-making, extraordinary events, or machinery. Surely the 
author's success is justified. You will judge for yourself 
when you return, and, for my part, I intend to see the piece 
when I get back to Paris. 

While on the subject of the theatre, I find myself sudden- 
ly struck by that phrase of Mazarin's that you quote to me. 
What does it mean? How does it affect you? This and 



60 LETTERS OF MADAME DE REMUSAT. 

other words in your letter go to my heart. The depression 
in which you write does not proceed only from the grief of 
separation from those you love ; I fear that you are hiding 
some secret sorrow from me. Mon am% I have a right to 
share all things with you, and you must not deny me my half 
of your troubles.* Perhaps, however, they exist only in my 
imagination, which in your absence is gloomy, and would be 
still more so without the assurance in which I find all my 
comfort. 

Mon arni, I really think I am becoming religious ; our 
new separation is developing the feelings caused by that of 
last year. Do not let this alarm you, for, if my character be 
at all changed by it, it must be for the better and to the ad- 
vantage of us both. I already feel that my study of religion 
and the meditations I make, after reading pure and devout 
books, are rendering me more gentle and good. The habit- 
ual recollection of God makes me wish to avoid offending 
him as much as possible. My thoughts revert naturally to 
him and to you, and at such times, in presence, as it were, 
of the Divinity, I renew my vows to love you and make you 
happy. Adieu. Do not smile over these few last lines ; let 
me enjoy the comforts of religion. 



XXXY. 

TO M. DE EEMUSAT, AT MILAN. 

Paris, Sunflay, 20 Prairial, Year XIIL 
{June 9, 1805.) 

Peestce Eugene's appointment f did not surprise me. It 
was spoken of here for some days past, andMme. d'ELoudetot 

* These feelings are explained further on, in a letter intrusted to Corvisart. 
The quotation from Mazarin is as follows : " When any one was recommended 
to hira for employment, the Cardinal always asked, ' Is he lucky ? ' " 

f Prince Eugene de Beauhai-nais had been made Viceroy of Italy on 18 
Prairial. 



PLATS. 61 

sent me the news yesterday. She had seen the Princess Louis, 
who told her of it with tears, and confessed that after her 
first feeling of gratitude to the Emperor, the next had been 
grief at the separation from her brother. If he is still at 
Milan, pray offer him my good wishes and my homage. From 
my heart I trust that his happiness will be equal to his glory. 
I shall write to the Empress, whose mother's heart must be 
alternately glad and sorrowful. Poor mothers and wives 
often pay with tears for the prosperity of their sons and hus- 
bands. My sister is now doing this. M, de Kansouty has 
just been appointed to the command of the Reserve Cavalry, 
and is to accompany Prince Louis. Although it is a most 
honorable mission, and he is delighted, Alix only sees the 
separation and possible danger, and she is in tears. The ex- 
pedition to England is more than ever talked of. It is said to 
be certain, and that on his return the Emperor will go to 
Boulogne. There are reports, on the contrary, of a Congress 
to be held at Brussels : in fact, each day brings forth some 
fresh rumor, which is sure to be succeeded by another on the 
following. 

I have been to the " Templiers." I was delighted, and 
cried a great deal. There are grave defects in the work, but 
greater beauties, which are so striking that the former are only 
perceived on reflection. It attracts great crowds ; the Fran- 
cais is as full as in the height of the winter season, and the 
eleventh performance produced four or five thousand francs. 
" Madame de Sevigne " * was performed at your theatre 
the night before last, with only moderate success. It is an 
ill-conceived work, in which, by making Mme. de Sevigne 
declaim in three quarters of an hour all that she wrote in 
twenty years, the author has contrived to represent her as the 
most affected and stilted person in the world. I saw also 

* Madame de Sevign6 " is a play in three acts, by Bouilli/, the author of 
" Contes h ma fille " and " L'Abbe de I'Epee." The principal character was 
one of the last undertaken by Mile. Contat. Michot and Mile. Mars had com- 
parative success. 



62 LETTERS OF MADAME DE REMUS AT. 

Duport's ballet of " Acis et Galatee," wliicli is very pretty. 
I have now concluded my course of tlieatres, for the weather 
is beginning to be too hot to shut one's self up in a box. I 
am going to stay at home and get through my time as best I 
can. Do not forget that all the emotions and regrets you 
describe so well are experienced by me also, and that, although 
I endeavor to resign myself to your absence, I can never be- 
come accustomed to it. 



XXXYII. 

TO M. DE BEMUSAT, AT MILAN. 

Paris, Thursday, 2If. Frairial, Year XIII. 
{June 13, 1805.) 

I PASSED a pleasant day yesterday, conversing, about you 
principally, with real friends. The Abbe Morellet, Gallois, 
and Bertrand dined with us, and afterward M. Devalues 
made his appearance ; he takes compassion on our sohtude 
and improves on acquaintance. We talked till midnight. 
Paris is so empty that they do not know what to do. Gal- 
lois feels quite lost, and is going to take himself and his rev- 
eries to Switzerland. 

Mme. de Souza (the mention of her is ]3urely accidental, 
believe me) has arrived at Berlin, where she is feted and 
caressed by the Queen and all the best society. Her literary 
reputation had preceded her, and procured her a most gra- 
cious reception. It is no longer quite certain that her hus- 
band goes to Eussia ; he is said to be inclined to give up 
diplomacy and retire into private life. As you may imagine, 
the conversation yesterday turned for a time on our friend 
the ambassadress ; the " Dictionnaire de 1' Academic " was the 
immediate cause. Abbe Morellet declares that the Avritings 
of women are what embarrass him most as to the meaning 
and employment of words. Our favorite Mme. de Sevigne 



WOMER IN LITERATURE. 63 

reduces Lim to despair, and, as lie has no high opinion of the 
sentimental trifles which are the greatest charm of feminine 
compositions, he would willingly burn them all and forbid 
^^s ever to attempt the art again. Gallois, as a chivalrous 
knight, took our part. He argued that literature would be 
deprived of an important branch, if women were forbidden 
to write, and asserted that their so-called negligences of style 
are but a more graceful way of expressing their thoughts. 
During the discussion I kept saying to myself that I would 
willingly submit to such a prohibition, if I were allowed to 
tell my dearest one that I love him with my whole soul ; 
and that, if I were to make a dictionary, I would multiply in 
every possible way the modes of expressing that affection, 
which I never succeed in describing as strongly as I feel it 
in my heart. 



XXXYIII. 

TO M. DE EEMUSAT, AT MILAN. 



Saturday, 26 Prairial, Year XIIl. 
{June 15, 1805.) 

Mon ami : I received two letters from you to-day ; one 
that Corvisart sent me in the morning, and another that I 
have this instant read. You can understand my surprise at 
the first. I keep my reflections on the subject to myself ; 
you were my first thought and my first anxiety. Heaven 
knows. I will follow your advice and see the person you 
mention.* As to the lady of whom you speak, I have paid 

* In a note to the Memoirs, I have published the letter that my grandfather 
sent by Corvisart. It is a striking instance of the worry and wearisomeness of 
the Emperor's service. An accusation of too great an intimacy between my 
grandmother and Mme. de Damas had been brought, and they had allowed 
themselves to criticise the Italian journey and the Emperor's brothers. As the 
letter in reply had to go through the post, it throws little light on the circum- 
stances. The person whom my grandfather advised his wife to consult on the 
subject was the Minister of Police. 



6i LETTERS OF MADAME BE REMUS AT. 

her but three visits since your departure ; one on tlie occa- 
sion of her daughter's confinement, which then occupied her 
thoughts exchisively ; another, one evening in the midst of 
preparations for a little party that she was giving in honor 
of her daughter's recovery, and for which I did not remain 
because it would have bored me ; and a third time, when I 
went to take leave of her, as she was going into the country. 
This is all. You can imagine my feelings, therefore, and I 
hasten to leave so unpleasant a subject. 

"We were struck, as you were, with the Emperor's speech 
at Genoa;* it was very remarkable, and in all respects 
worthy of him. The union of the states seems to give gen- 
eral satisfaction, and all the Provengaux whom I know say 
that it can do no harm at Marseilles. What an empire it is 
that extends from those countries to Antwerp ! And what 
a man must he be who holds it all in his hand ! How few 
do we find in history like him ! 

These reflections are suggested to me by the study of 
history, which I have taken up in order to occupy my leisure 
time. Such a study is of special interest and use after a rev- 
olution like ours, which throws a new light on many brilliant 
deeds by which we had at first been dazzled, and at the 
same time makes us appreciate others that we had hitherto 
hardly noticed. How many circumstances and characters 
are explained by it ! How many actions justified ! It is a 
kind of labyrinth, in fact, of which the plan has at last been 
found out. I believe it would be most useful to recur in 
this way, when one's reason is matured, to the histories read 
during youth. We should thus escape the danger of retain- 
ing the impressions received at a period when our judgments 
are dictated by our feelings, and we only esteem that which 
we happen to like. O happy, happy time of our youth, 
that flies so fast and that we waste so recklessly! How 
sweet are its illusions and how far from me already ! Mon 

* The union of the Genoese states to the French Empire. 



LEMERGIER. 65 

ami, what thanks do I not owe you ! "Without you, without 
the happiness I derive from you, I think I could not resist 
the gloom and melancholy of life's disappointments. 

You must try to put up with the extreme dullness of my 
letters just now. I know nothing, I see nobody, my life is 
as monotonous as possible, and yet in this dearth of all news 
you wish me to write to you every day. I must, therefore, 
write my thoughts, and you must be patient with their occa- 
sional sadness. I am not always able to control it, and I 
give way to feelings of melancholy, especially when unex- 
pected trials are added to those of my every-day life. Your 
return only can dispel them ; they can not then master me, 
for their place will be taken by the sweetest emotions of 

joy- 

I do not know whether I told you that the success of the 
" Templiers " had aroused all our tragic geniuses, excepting 
only Lemercier, whose line is decidedly epic poetiy. He is 
writing on the most extraordinary subject. The scene is 
laid in the infernal regions, and the devils, by way of amuse- 
ment, are acting plays in which they represent the various 
scenes of life. There will, no doubt, be something diabolic 
in the style, and I fear the whole will not be as clever as the 
devil. "^ 

Sunday. 

I finished my evening, yesterday, with the " Templiers," 
which my mother had not yet seen. She was delighted, and 
we both shed tears, not of tenderness, but those that are 
excited by greatness of soul. The interest aroused by the 
piece is so great that its defects are not noticed until after 
the performance is over. Meanwhile one admires, one is 
moved, and any fault is overlooked. It is now going to be 

* " La Panhypocrisiade," a poem by Lemercier, which was not published un- 
til 1817, entirely justifies Mme. de Eemusat in the opinion given in the above 
letter. Lemercier, it is well known, was succeeded at the French Academy by 
M. Victor Hugo, whom he had preceded on the path of literary rsform, and 
whom he afterward opposed as a greater reformer than himself. 



66 LETTERS OF MADAME DE REMU8AT. 

publisliedj and will consequently have to pass a severe ordeal. 
It still attracts great crowds ; the house was full last night, 
and the applause continual. There is one line which is 
always seized upon. Philip is speaking of the King of 
England, and says — 

"La terreur de mon nom le poursuit dans son ile." 

Saint Prix is splendid in the part of the Grand Master, the 
principal and best-written character in the play ; Talma * 
also does well, but his acting is somewhat injured by his 
state of health. He is ill, and suffers from frequent nervous 
attacks. " Madame de Sevigne " has improved a little, but it 
will never be anything more than an indifferent play, prov- 
ing, however, that the author has the ability for writing 
another on a better subject. 

I have seen a most beautiful house this morning, belong- 
ing to Mr. Crawfurd.f He has bought the old Monaco 
Hotel, and furnished it superbly — the most splendid carpets 
and hangings, a quantity of china, and, more than all, the 
finest collection of j)ortraits of celebrities, both men and 
women, from the time of Henry II. to our own days. All 
Louis XIY.'s century by Mignard ! You can imagine my 
mother's delight with pictures of Mme. de Sevigne and 
Mme. de Grignan, Mme. de Montespan and Mme. de la Yal- 
liere. I spent nearly two hours in admiring all these fine 
things, though I felt sorry to think they will eventually find 
their way to the heirs of this wealthy individual in England ; 
I was annoyed, too, I must confess, to see such a collection 
in the possession of an Englishman. However, we wandered 
about as if in an enchanted palace, without meeting a soul. 
The former owner has given it up to strangers; his wife, 

* Talma took the part of Marigny. At a subsequent period, after the death 
or retirement of Saint Prix, he played the Grand Master with the greatest suc- 
cess. 

f Mr. Crawfurd, a friend of Talleyrand's, was a clever man, who published 
several works in French for private circulation. 



A RICH ENGLISHMAN. 67 

Mme. Sullivan,* the mother of Mme. d'Orsay, keeps herself 
out of the way. Yisitors come and go and examine every- 
thing, and nobody interferes. Mr. Crawfurd is one of the 
richest of rich Englishmen. He has lost over here a hun- 
dred thousand francs of income (£4,000), and does not even 
feel it. He spent a million on this new house in a period of 
two years, without the slightest difficulty. He likes living 
in Paris, is hospitable, spends his money liberally, and enjoys 
life. I do not require so large a fortune to be happy, and I 
think we could lead a pleasant life at less cost. Here is an 
opportunity for a fine panegyric of moderation in fortune, 
but I could say nothing new, and although the older I grow 
the more I lean to a simple and quiet life, I could amuse you 
by telling you what I have felt in scenes of dazzling splen- 
dor and magnificence. On the whole, I think I dread such 
splendor as much as life in a hut. 

You tell me that the Empress is good enough to say that 
I do not write to her sufficiently often. It is because I fear 
to be intrusive. I picture her to myself so occupied, so 
agitated, and so overwhelmed, that I fear my letters might 
arrive at some inconvenient moment. I will write to her, 
however, in a few days, and will send my letter through you, 
as I am uncertain as to where she may be. 



XL. 

TO M. DE EEMUSAT, AT MILAN. 

Paris, Friday, 9 Messidoi; Year XIII. 
{June 28, 1805.) 

We have been greatly shocked by the almost sudden 
death of poor Neny. He was struck with apoplexy on Sun- 
day evening ; in two hours he completely lost the power of 

* Mme. Sullivan was, as stated above, the mother of Mme. d'Orsay, whose 
son. Count d'Orsay, was famous, thirty years ago, for the elegance of his dress. 
He married the daughter of the Earl of Blessington. 



68 LETTERS OF MADAME DE EEMU8AT. 

speech and movement, and after lingering for thirty-six hours 
he expired, quite unconscious of everything. The sudden- 
ness with which death strikes us, suggests many reflections 
to a dreamer like me. What trouble, what anxiety we give 
ourselves, in order to reach death at last ! A little pleasure, 
more or less, and all is over ! Where now are all the trifling 
vanities, which yet had such power to wound us ? I do not 
include the feelings of the heart which adorn our life, and 
afford us comfort at its end. If in eternity we retain any 
remembrance of this life, it must surely be of our love for a 
tender, dear, and faithful friend to whom we have been in- 
debted for all our happiness. And then, perhaps, if we are 
permitted to make a prayer, it is that we may continue to 
enjoy this same happiness. 

Poor Mme. Dupuis * is in great grief. Her son has just 
died of malignant fever, after a long and painful illness. On 
her return from Plombieres, whither she had accompanied 
Princess Joseph,f she found the child dangerously ill. He 
seemed to have waited for her in order to die, for she lost 
him a very few days afterward. But I have written enough 
about death ; I will try, if I can, to throw oif the melancholy 
into which these sad events have cast me. A letter from you 
just now would do me great good, for I find it difficult to 
bear up against depression. 

Paris is duller than ever. ITobody is here ; the theatres, 
not being attractive in hot weather, are empty ; nor can we 
enjoy the season, for it rains unceasingly, and we have the 
fire lighted every day. My mother and I are much together ; 
we read or converse, and the order and regularity with which 
my days are passed, make them glide by so quickly as to 
convince me that the right way to get through one's time is 
to spend it according to a fixed rule. I am sorrowful at 
being so far from you, but, strictly speaking, I am not dull ; 

* She was a Creole, from Bourbon, and wife of the Intendant of Finance, 
f Joseph Bonaparte. 



REVERIES. 69 

I read and think and muse, and the latter occupation affords 
me pleasure. You would laugh could you know with what 
plans, what wishes, and even with what delusions, my im- 
agination fills up the void around me. Sometimes I build 
castles in the air of every kind ; at others I hold conversa- 
tions with interesting people ; I imagine speeches for my 
interlocutors, which I answer ; I narrate and descant, and all 
this with my arms folded, in an easy-chair, or in my bed, 
waiting for sleep, which does not come so easily as of yore. 
Do not think, however, that I amuse myself with mere 
empty dreaming. There is something serious and reasonable 
in my reveries. I moralize, I argue, I strengthen within 
myself the principles in which I was brought up, and which 
have been confirmed by the happiness which you have be- 
stowed on me. I replace the fond illusions of my youth 
with truths from which I endeavor to get all the consolation 
possible. Although I have learned, by an experience I did 
not seek, to distrust human nature, I nevertheless try not to 
mistake my true friends. To conclude : I tell myself that 
real wisdom is not to be found in heart-breaking suspicion, 
but that to preserve one's own heart pure, and to allow one's 
self to be deceived with a certain faeility, is perhaps the best 
way of obtaining all the happiness this world affords. 



XLI. 

TO M. DE EEMUSAT, AT MILAN. 

Paris, Monday^ 12 Messidor, Year XIII. 
{July 1, 1805.) 

I AM writing to you in the midst of constant interruption. 
Since early this morning I have a stream of visitors to con- 
sole me in my solitude.* I dare not close my door against 

* Mme. de Vergennnes and her grandson were at Auvers, Seine-et-Oise, 
staying with Mine. Choron. 



70 LETTERS OF MADAME BE REMUSAT. 

them, for friends and kinsfolk, knowing that my mother has 
left me, seem to have agreed to meet each other here ; and 
yet the real way to make myself forget the slow lapse of time 
is to spend it in conversing with you. When writing to you, 
I regret nothing but your absence. I am thinking, therefore, 
by way of consolation in my retirement, of always keeping 
on my desk a letter to you partly written, to which I can add 
a few words when I feel more sorrowful than usual. You 
may be sure, too, that my book of sermons will not be neg- 
lected. -The grand answer to unbelievers is the need of 
religion which we are always brought to feel by sorrow and 
trials. For my own part, I know that religion has given me 
comfort that I could have found in no other way ; and yet I 
am but little advanced on the path, and I even feel that I 
should never wish to advance so far as to prefer anything to 
the dear and beloved friend of my heart. 

"What are you now doing ? How I dread that you may 
be suffering from heat and fatigue ! How your migratory 
life inust tire you ; mind and body in constant movement, 
only the heart in repose ! For, notwithstanding all that our 
returned travelers have told me of the beauty of Italian eyes, 
I can not for one moment doubt that you have always turned 
away at once from their glances, rather than fail in those 
vows of fidelity to me, from which I will on no pretext 
whatever relieve you. I must not, however, include Corvi- 
sart among the admirers of the ladies of Milan. He took 
with him the ennui with which his life is everywhere bur- 
dened, and he came back dissatisfied with all he had seen. 
M. de Tournon appeared to me better pleased,* and I suspect 
he employed his time better than our Esculapius. He rather 
amused me by his account of the busily idle life you are lead- 
ing just now. He declares that he is quite convinced pleasure 

* M. Camille de Tournon-Simiane, Chamberlain to the Emperor, Prefect of 
Rome, and subsequently Prefect of Bordeaux, was bom in 1778. He published 
some statistical works on Rome (2 vols. 8vo, Paris, 1831), and died in 1833. 



M. MOLLIEN. 71' 

does not abide in palaces. I believe it, alas ! but I feel how 
easily it might dwell with us, if we could abandon ourselves 
to the delicious sentiments on which you, as it were, nour- 
ished my youth. "Were those golden and swiftly passing days 
the happiest that I shall ever know ? I greatly fear so. I 
know not whether it is that our years, as they accumulate, 
bringing with them an involuntary knowledge of the truth, 
fill us also with dread of the future, or whether I possess a 
secret presentiment of the fate that awaits us, but in any 
case I own to a fear that we shall never again enjoy a peace- 
ful existence. Far from being prodigal of my time and my 
happiness, as I used to be five or six years ago, I am becom- 
ing miserly over them. I grieve for the loss of either; I 
begin to perceive that if we suffer the present to escape us, 
it is irretrievably lost, and I suffer acutely, for instance, at 
the thought that I am perhaps destined often to be deprived 
of your dear presence. 

I saw yesterday two of our friends who are far more for- 
tunate than we, Mollien * and his wife. They have bought a 
small country-house in which they reside. Every morning 
the husband goes to the Caisse d'Amortissement, where he is 
employed, and labors honorably for his master and his coun- 
try. At five o'clock he comes home to dinner, and passes the 
evening with his family. He has invested all his money in 
this little property ; there are seventeen acres of land, which 
he amuses himself in laying out, and on which he counts 
every bit of timber. He is contented with his lot ; he talked 
at length with me on the subject, and wishes for nothing 
beyond. His salary is sufficient for his wants, the Emperor 
trusts him, he is respected by worthy people, and he smiles 

* M. Mollien was not aa yet at the head of the Treasury ; he directed the 
Caisse d'Amortissement. He was born in 1*758, and died in 1S50. His wife, who 
was an amiable and superior woman, died, aged more than ninety, in ] 880. To 
the last she clung to the memory of her husband and of those early times, so 
peaceful for her, while for others they were so disturbed. She was Lady-in- 
Waiting to Queen Marie Amelie. 



72 LETTERS OF MADAME DE R^MUSAT. 

in private at the fear of him which certain ambitious enemies 
feel, and at the dislike they choose to cultivate, whereas, had 
they taken the trouble to know him, they would see he is too 
moderate a man to be in any way a dangerous rival. I lis- 
tened to his account of his position, of his devotion to the 
Emperor, of his simple, quiet tastes, with the more pleasure 
that I discerned some likeness to you in his description of 
himself, and this similarity, flattering to both, lent a great 
charm to his conversation. Both he and his wife seemed 
pleased at my visit, and I promised to go there again with 
you. 



XLII. 

TO M. DE EEMUSAT, AT MILAN. 

Paris, Tuesday^ 13 Messidoi; Year XIII. 
(July 2, 1805). 

I WENT yesterday to Eomainville. I had given a little 
offense by my neglect ; it was my first visit there since you 
left me, and Mme. de Montesson* scolded me for not tak- 
ing advantage of my liberty to go a little more into society. 
This is a very general reproach, and I feel it is deserved, 
yet I have no wish to correct my failings in that respect. 
What I like most, when you are away, is to divide my time 
between my mother and my son. . . . 

To return to Mme. de Montesson. I found her looking 
ill, and trying to amuse herself by superintending improve- 
ments in her house. She is so changed, and the contrast is so 
great between her appearance and the elegance and luxury 
surrounding her, I could not help being struck by it. It was 
as if she were adorning her grave. You see that I am still 
somewhat inclined to melancholy thoughts caused by solitude 

* Mme. de Montesson died a few months later, on February 6, 1806. She 
was half-sister to Mme. de Genlis. 



TEE ROMANS. 73 

and separation from yon ; and I do not reject them, for they 
are not really saddening except when the effect of a sorrow 
for which there is no remedy ; when they have hope for a 
companion, there is a charm about them to which I willingly 
abandon myself. 

I have already told you, I think, that I have taken up 
Homan history, which I had not looked at since I was a girl 
of fifteen. It used to delight my youthful imagination, and 
I like it still, but in a different way. Alas ! mon am% I have 
grown old.* I feel no enthusiasm, as formerly, for those 
austere republicans ; our own troubles have opened my eyes 
to their ostentatious virtues. I admire something I read by 
Saint-Evremond on this subject. He gives an excellent 
explanation of the rustic simplicity of the early inhabitants 
of Rome, which he contends was not virtue, but simply igno- 
rance of any other mode of life. " In spite of what posterity 
has tried to make us believe," he says, "their valor was 
nothing but ferocity, and obstinacy, with them, took the 
place of knowledge. Far from being urged on by a sense of 
superiority, the Komans, in the early days of their republic, 
were but dishonest neighbors, who by main force cultivated f 
the fields of others." f However, I do not expect that you 
will find in the Italy of to-day any trace of those early 
Roman manners, whether they were the outcome of virtue 
or of ignorance, and nothing less than the presence of a great 
man like our master would sufiice, I believe, to rouse the 
nation from the lethargy in which she is steeped, and which 
made Duclos always say, the Italians of Rome. To such a 
mind as yours it must be a curious and interesting study to 
watch the point to which his glory will succeed in arousing 
them. While he creates new peoples, so to speak, during his 

* She was then twenty-five years of age. 

f The above quotation contains the matter, but not the exact words, of Saint- 
Evremond in his " Reflexions sur les Divers Genies du Peuple Romain dans Ics 
Divers Temps de la Republique," p. 1*76. His work is very little read at present, 
which is to be regretted. 
4 



74 LETTERS OF MADAME DE REMUS AT. 

triumpliant progress, France herself must be a striking spec- 
tacle to all beholders. Her navy, formed in two years, after 
a destructive revolution, and at the present moment taking 
the offensive against an enemy that has long carelessly 
despised it ; her tranquillity in the absence of her ruler ; and, 
lastly, her government that has not suffered in any part of its 
administration during this long absence! All these things 
are sufficient to excite surprise and admiration, and to kindle 
the imagination of the ardent. I own that I am not yet too 
old for enthusiasm of this kind. . . . 



XLIII. 

TO M, DE EEMUSAT, AT MILAN. 

Paris, Wednesday Morning, IJf. Messidor, Year XIII. 

{July 3, 1805.) 

. . . Pkay tell the Empress that I saw at Guerin's a por- 
trait of her that only requires two sittings more, and is an 
admirable likeness and painting. It is really charming. It 
gives all the delicacy of her features and the expression of 
her eyes ; in fact, it is perfection, and I wish it were mine. 
Thank her also for the kindness with which she receives my 
letters. Of course I should like to have a few lines from her, 
but I do not presume to expect it. Herbaut,* whom I have 
just seen, tells me she is going direct to Plombieres. Shall 
we join her there ? Would you be free ? 

I saw Mile. Contat yesterday ; she had wi-itten so often 
and pressed me so much to receive her, that I thought I could 
not continue to refuse. She told me that Talma's illness is 
taking the form of such violent nervous attacks that some- 
times he is not quite himself. If this be true, the poor Come- 
die Frangaise will be in a bad way. At the present time 

* Herbaut, valet and hair-dresser to the Empress, made his fortune as a 
fashionable mercer. 



TEE GOMEDIE FRANGAISE. 75 

tliere is absolutely no money taken ; the best pieces fail to 
attract. It is not the fault of tlie actors, for their repertory 
is good, and they all act ; but the weather is warm and the 
small theatres are crowded. The latter constantly give 
pieces which excite curiosity, either by their extravagance or, 
what is worse, their indecency, and Racine and Moliere are 
forsaken for the coarse farces of the Boulevards. I saw some 
of them last week with mamma, and Ave had great difficulty 
in obtaining places for " Le Revenant de Berezule," and the 
" Guerriere des Sept Montagues."' * Poor Maherault is quite 
paralyzed, because your actors all complain that they are not 
earning anything. " The Templiers " would bring in some 
money, but Talma's illness has put a stop to it. Thus, you 
are longed for and expected ; they come every day to inquire 
about your return, and perhaps when they have seen you 
and given you no end of trouble they will be no better 
pleased, for such are comedians — I was going to say, such are 
men. 



XLiy. 

TO M. DE EE3IUSAT, AT MILAN. 

Paris, Friday, 16 Messido); Year XIII. 
{July S, 1805) 

I EEsiJME my journal, cher ami. I was unable to continue 
writing it yesterday, although I was for the greater part of 
the day at home. After beginning the morning as usual by 
thinking of you, I next went out to buy the chairs for your 
room. I have now arranged them and your books also, so 

* The melodrama, " Le Revenant de Berezule," was brought out at the Am- 
bigu, on 1 Messidoi', Year XIII. (June 26, 1805). The ostensible author was M. 
Pran§ois, and the real author, Mme. de Bawr, narrates in her Memoirs that the 
piece failed so utterly, that, having made her escape at the end of the first act, 
she could still, from the Boulevards, hear the hisses. No doubt, it was improved 
afterward. " La Guerriei'e des Sept Montagues," or " La Laitiere des Bords du 
Ikhin," is also a melodrama, and was brought out in 1805. 



76 LETTERS OF MADAME BE REMU8AT. 

all is ready to receive you. I made haste to prepare tlie 
room, as if by so doing I could hasten your return. At any 
rate, it made me think of it, and thus almost enjoy it before- 
hand. Afterward I amused myself by putting my papers, as 
I call them, in order, and by reading over the effusions of 
my childhood, to which in early days I attached so much im- 
portance, and which have acquired it since, from the happi- 
ness of the time to which they carry me back. This interest- 
ing reading and my sweet reveries whiled away the time for 
me until two o'clock, and then Mme. de Ganay arrived, with 
whom I had a pleasant talk. She is nice and seems friendly ; 
I like her extremely. Afterward I saw Corvisart, who an- 
noyed me about my health, and pleased me by the good opin- 
ion of you which he is always ready to express. 

I dined alone ; but did not pass a solitary evening, for 
Mme. Devalues, M. Simeon, Abbe Morellet, Gallois, my sister, 
MM. de Lacretelle, Desfaucherets,* and Kaynouard came in 
rather early. The latter, to whom I had written a note of 
thanks for the two copies of his play that he had sent me, 
had asked my permission to be introduced to me. His slight 
Provengal accent delights me ; he is simple in manner and 
well bred. He speaks modestly of his success, and gratefully 
of the kindness of the public. He is not blind to the faults 
of his piece, and desires very much to obtain for it the ap- 
probation of the Emperor,f to whom he says he is indebted 
for valuable criticism on the occasion when it was read to liis 
Majesty by Fontanes. 

He recited some beautiful lines from his " Etats de Blois," 
which, however, he is in no hurry to produce, fearing that 
after his recent triumph very much will be expected of him. 
He is quite ready to cede his rights to other authors ; for in- 

* M. de Lacretelle, junior, the friend of Mme. d'Houdetot, was a member of 
the French Academy. M. Dcsfaueherets, author of the comedy called "Le 
Mariage Secret." 

f He did not obtain this approbation, if we may believe the " Memoirs de M. 
de Beausset." " It is probable," said the Emperor, " that if M. Geqflfroy's pa- 
per had not said so much against the piece, others would have said less for it." 



M. RAYNOUARD. 77 

stance, to Legouve, who lias just fiiiislied his tragedy, "La 
Mort de Henri Quatre," to which he attaches great impor- 
tance. On the whole, I am pleased with M. Raynouard. 
We read together Geoffrey's last attack on him and M. de 
Lalande. He says he is under an obligation to Geoffroy's 
paper for censure, which has given him celebrity, and he 
is determined never to reply to it, because Fontenelle was 
greatly admired for his silence under similar provocation ; 
his enemies being driven at last to entitle their pamphlets 
" Eeponse au Silence de M. de Fontenelle." 

I have finished " Saint-Evremond," which I like very 
much. I am now reading " La Decadence des Eomains," 
and I think with M. Bertrand, that Montesquieu has made 
great use of this early author, who is not now sufficiently 
read. Their opinions are often the same, and expressed 
sometimes in identical language. What I like least, as the 
result of these studies of mine, are the Komans themselves — 
the turbulent, irritable Romans. ISTotwithstanding the cour- 
age and tenacity of their Senate, whose conduct through 
whole centuries I can not help admiring, my opinion is — 
and it is shared fortunately by many others — that a monarchy 
is the best form of government for a nation, and I have a 
womanly inclination even for a little despotism. When I 
have finished Montesquieu I shall take up Tacitus, if you 
give me enough time. Had I leisure, I would try it in Latin, 
in which I beg to inform you that I am improving. Charles's 
Latin lessons are of great use to me, and I am present at 
them as much for my own sake as for his. I feel that it 
would be my favorite study, perhaps because of the beauty 
of the language in itself, or because I have a natural turn for 
that kind of work, or — and this is the most likely — because 
it recalls a time when you first taught me, and there was a 
charm in every pursuit that brought us together. 

I have just been interrupted by M. Dudemaine,* who 

* M. Dudemaine was son-ia-law to Mme. de Foresta, my grandfather's half- 
sister. 



78 LETTERS OF MADAME DE REMUSAT. 

came to take leave ; he goes into Provence on Monday, and 
hopes to see the Emperor there, because he has been tokl 
that a petition was to be addressed to his Majesty, praying 
him to visit that part of the country. I dare not hope that 
he may be disappointed, for I am half a Provengale myself, 
and it seems that our province needs sorely a visit from its 
master. People say he is displeased with the Prefect ; but 
does mankind ever speak well of those in authority over 
them ? and does not their pride almost always lead them to 
revenge themselves on those who rule them by censure ? 



XLY. 

TO M, DE EEMUSAT, AT MILAN. 

Paris, Saturday, 17 Mcssidor, Year XIII. 
{July 6, 1805.) 

I AM beginning to care less for my desk, and the anticipa- 
tion of a far higher pleasure rather spoils that of writing. 
Is it possible that I shall soon see you again ? The very 
thought is a delight to my poor heart, so saddened by your 
long absence. I rejoice over it more than I can express. 
Time no longer hangs heavily, the house no longer is gloomy ; 
it will soon be your abode, and I begin to take pleasure in it 
once more. 

After this little outpouring, I take up my journal again, 
which can not be very lively reading for you, but amuses me 
to write. Yesterday, after finishing my letter, I gave a very 
nice little dinner to Mmes. de Ganay, Sannoise, IS'ansouty, 
and M. Bertrand. After dinner they went to the Opera, 
and I staid at home with the Abbe Morellet, who had come 
in to see me, and with M. Pasquier. I took a little walk 
with these two gentlemen, and so ended the day. I went to 
breakfast this morning with Mmes. de Sainte-Aldegonde, 



TALMA'S ILLNESS. 79 

who are no others than Miles, d'Aumont ; * they were both 
married a few days ago. I inclose a letter which they beg 
you to present to the Empress. They do not forget what 
they owe to her Majesty, and they are both happy and grate- 
ful. This is very nice and also very rare. There was no- 
thing very noteworthy in the remainder of the day. I dined 
alone, and then showed myself at the Archchancellor's ; he 
has resumed his receptions after a serious illness. The crowd 
was immense ; people just came for a moment and then dis- 
appeared. I met Mme. de Lucchesini ; she told me she had 
frequently seen you, that the Empress looked lovely at the 
coronation, and that the Emperor has grown stout. She also 
told me about the fetes, which, she said, were splendid. I 
finished my evening at the Frangais. " Le Philosophe sans 
le savoir " was admirably acted, but nobody there to see it. 
Your actors are in despair at this desertion of their theatre, 
and Talma's illness is a crowning misfortune. He is a little 
better, bat in a state of depression and melancholy that re- 
quires attention, and his comrades want him, ill or well, to 
act with them. I was greatly pleased at seeing " Le Philo- 
sophe " again, though it made me cry. 

You will find us all here together on your return, but 
when are you coming? The Archchancellor told me the 
Emperor had said nothing on the subject. On the other 
hand, M. de Eleurien f has gone to Fontainebleau. Are you 
going to Marseilles ? Will our master take that additional 
journey ? What activity ! what strength ! I think Boileau's 
line might be applied to him : 

" Le ciel met sur le trone un prince infatigable." 

* Miles. d'Aumont were two sisters, who had a great friendship for my 
grandmother. She had succeeded in obtaining the restoration of their property 
as emigres, as has been told in the Memoirs. They were married on the same 
day, to two brothers. One of these was a deputy under the Restoration. 

f M. de Fleuricn, formerly a naval officer, was Intendant of the Emperor's 
household. 



80 LETTERS OF MADAME DE Rt^MUSAT. 

Sunday Evening. 

I will begin my letter while waiting for your Bouffons, 
wlio are to be presented to me this morning by Picard, and 
to sing something for me. Their public performances will 
begin soon, but they wished me to see them first, and I very 
willingly consented. 

I received this morning a letter from Deschamps, which 
the Empress was so good as to direct him to write to me. 
She kindly says that she would write herself but for her 
grief at this painful separation from her son. I can symj)a- 
thize with her. There is no heart- felt sorrow that I can not 
compassionate. Poor mothers and wives too often pay for 
your vanities with their tears, but, if I may say so without 
offense, those acute feelings procure them a joy of which you 
can form no idea ; and this seems to me so precious an ad- 
vantage, that in spite of all the drawbacks of a woman's posi- 
tion, in spite even of the delicacy of my health, which I owe 
probably to my sex, I would not exchange it for yours. 
What is the reason of this preference, mon cher ami? I 
leave it for you to guess. Ask your own heart, and you will 
soon be answered. 

I am going to dine with the elder Mrae. Devalues, and 
afterward to pay a few visits. I am taking advantage of my 
liberty, for on Wednesday my little schoolboy comes back to 
me, and then I shall have but very few leisure moments. 
My mother writes to me that his improved health convinces 
her more than ever that he ought to spend a part of every 
year in the country, to strengthen his constitution. I have 
several ideas on the subject which I will confide to you. I 
don't think they will be difficult to carry out. But I hear 
our musicians arriving ; so adieu, until after the concert. 

Sunday Evening. 

I am quite tired out with listening and talking to so 
many persons, whom I could barely understand. Your 
Bouffons, however, met with approval from the amateurs 



THE BOUFFONS. 81 

who came here to listen to them. However, we made some 
criticisms ; none, however, on their appearance. The ladies 
are all pretty, very pretty. La Crespy — for I must call her 
as she calls herself — is very nice-looking, and her voice is, I 
think, very fine. Mme. Megliorruchi's is worn, and she 
sings out of tune. Mile. Salucchi has a beautiful voice, but 
does not know how to use it. The houffon, I think, will 
make us regret Martinelli, but you know that particular style 
is not adapted for a room. There is one superb bass, and 
another rather the worse for wear, but good nevertheless. 
]S"ozzari is best of all, but he complains of being the only 
tenor.* We hear there will be another beautiful female 
voice. I have now given you my opinion, which perhaps 
you did not want. You are a judge of beauty, monsieur, 
and will be congratulated, when you arrive, on the pretty 
faces you have picked up on your travels. Whereupon I 
kiss you and say adieu. I am now going to Mme. Devaines's. 
All the morning I have been talking the most wretched 
Italian, which, however, delighted the poor foreigners, who 
do not know a word of French. 

* The Italian Opera had been opened in Paris, at the Olympic Theatre, Rue 
de la Victoire, in 1801, under the management of Mile. Montansier, who in 1802 
removed it to the Salle Favart. In 1804 Picard-was appointed manager of the 
Opera, under the direction of the First Chamberlain, and established it at the 
Salle Louvois, where his company acted together with the Comediens Fran9ais. 
It was there that the tenor Garcia, father of Mmes. Malibran and Viardot, made 
his first appearance in 1808. It is not easy to find in the annals of the theatre, 
or old almanacs, the names of the singers mentioned above. I find, however, 
in the Revue des Comediens, 1808, a grand panegyric of La Crespy, commencing 
thus : " Is this Venus, or Minerva, or Mme. Crespy, advancing toward us ? 
What a beautiful head ! What fine arms ! What grace ! What elegance ! 
What a noble deportment ! . . . How can any one say, after this, that this 
adorable Italian has not a good method ? " etc., etc. Mile. Salucchi was a grace- 
ful and intelligent singer. 



82 LETTERS OF MADAME DE REMUS AT. 

XLYI. 

TO M. DE EEMUSAT, AT MILAN. 

Paris, Monday Morning, 19 Messidor, -Year XIII. 

{July 8, 1805.) 

... I MUST tell you tliat I am delighted witli Montes- 
quieu. I had never read the " Decadence " steadily before, 
hut this time I read it at leisure and with profit. I wished 
for you, however, first because I like you to share in all my 
pleasures and pursuits, and next because you could have ex- 
plained certain things to me, and set me right on others ; it 
would have been a help. Only that I know your time is 
fully occupied, I would tell you all that struck me most in 
the book. It must be an excellent guide for those who want 
to write or make a history. The author seems to have been 
in the secret of every political movement, he points out so 
accurately the hidden springs of each. One thing struck me 
very much : on several occasions he seems to have foreseen 
and explained our Revolution. If we read him attentively, 
we can understand all our misfortunes and all our triumphs 
as well. " There can be no state," he says, " so threatening 
to others as the state involved in the horrors of a civil war. 
Every man becomes a soldier, and when peace is made within 
it, such a state has great advantages over others whose sub- 
jects are mostly mere citizens." * What think you of this ? 
But I should copy the whole book, if I were to write you all 
that struck me. I am so pleased with the " Decadence," 
that I feel inclined to try the " Esprit des Lois" ; but would 
it be too difficult ? I shall wait for you to decide. 

I went to Suresnes this morning to breakfast with Mme. 
de Yaudemont. She has a charming place there ; one would 
never think the village was near. Everything is very sim- 
ple and in good taste ; the garden is full of flowers, the air 

* " Considerations sur les Causes de la Grandeur des Remains et de leur 
Decadence," chapter xi. 



MME. DE FONTANES. 83 

is scented, tliere is a lawn and a lovely view ; in fact, I was 
charmed and envious. It would suit us exactly ! It is but a 
mile from St. Cloud, and quite near Paris, and then it is a 
tiny place, and just fit for us. I should never wish for any- 
thing better. 

On returning, I called to take leave of Mme. de Ganay, 
who goes away to-morrow. I shall miss her very much. 
Both my mother and I like her. During her stay here, she 
had become intimate, I don't know how, with Mme. de 
Fontanes, who often spoke to her of you. Among other 
things, she told her that Fontanes thought very highly of 
your keen and sound judgment, and that you were highly 
informed and yet agreeable. Only that I fear to offend 
your modesty, I should say that he estimates you rightly, 
and that, for my own part, I must admit (and this without 
laying myself open to a charge of partiality) that the more 
I see of society, and the more I listen to others, the more 
also do I appreciate you. By-the-by, somebody asked me 
yesterday if you were ambitious. The question surprised 
me at first ; not that I should have found any difficulty in 
replying, but because experience, which I am gaining in 
spite of myself, warns me always to seek for the motive of 
questions before answering them. Alas ! the time is past 
when I believed them all to proceed from good-natured in- 
terest ! 



XLYII. 

TO M. DE REMUS AT, AT STRASBTJKG.* 

Paris, Saturday, S6 Fructidor, Year XIII. 
{September 13, 1805.) 

I INTENDED Writing to you yesterday, but I was tired out, 
and lay down all day. To-day I am perfectly well. You 

* The Emperor, who had returned to Paris from Genoa in July, 1805, went 
again, at the beginning of August, to Boulogne, in order to be present at the 



84 LETTERS OF MADAME DE R^MUSAT. ^ 

may believe me, for in an hour's time I shall be starting for 
St. Cloud, and you know I never stir unless my health al- 
lows of it. I received a short letter from you on Thursday, 
which would have deeply grieved me, only that, by the time 
it reached me, I hoped your mind was set at ease. It is true 
that I was ill after you left me, but not so ill as you imagine, 
and I should not now say a word about it but for your affec- 
tionate inquiries. I am now quite well ; do not be anxious 
and add unnecessary pain to the grief of separation. 

I spent Thursday evening at St. Cloud. There was a 
performance in the theatre of two pieces by the Opera Co- . 
mique. It was a little languid, but in other respects amusing, 
and the Emperor seemed pleased. After the play he went 
to his own apartments, and I remained for nearly an hour 
with the Empress and a few other persons, among whom 
was our new companion, Mme. de Canisy,* who had been 
appointed that morning. She is extremely pretty. 

Her Majesty told me that the " Femmes Savantes " 
would probably be performed in a short time. The actors 
have been warned, so the piece is ready. Maherault, who 
called on me this morning, is my informant. He is taking 
the Tivoli baths, and this prevents him from writing to you 
as often as he would hke. He asked me to tell you that he 
had proposed to punish Mile. Georges, but that the com- 
mittee opposed it, as she is not altogether in the wrong, and 
that they had decided on a fine, with the proviso that, if you 
thought fit, severer measures should be resorted to. Mahe- 

dcparture of the army. War had just been declared. He returned shortly 
afterward to Malmaison, and prepared to set out for Germany (where he gained 
the victory of Austerlitz), and his First Chamberlain received orders to proceed 
to Strasburg and prepare for the arrival of the Emperor and Empress. The lat- 
ter was to remain at Strasburg during the war, while the Emperor and part of 
his household went to the front. 

* Mme. de Canisyhad shortly before become the wife of her cousin, Equerry 
to the Emperor, She was remarkably lovely, and retained traces of beauty to 
the end of her life. Under the Restoration, she married M. de Caulaincourt, 
Due de Vicenza. She died in 1876. 



COUNT RUMFORD. 85 

rault says the word prison struck terror into them alL He 
is always wishing for you, for he feels too unwell to rule 
with a strong hand. The actors are complaining of Mile. 
Raucourt, who is still in the country and never acts. Your 
commissioner will write you particulars of all this in a few 
days. But as delay is the darling sin of the majority of 
mankind, Desfaucherets has not yet drawn up his statement ; 
he sends me continual excuses and completes nothing. I 
scolded him both on your account and my own, and he as- 
sures me that you shall soon have it. 

We are in very low spirits here. Alix spends her time 
crying because ISTansouty has joined the army, and my own 
regrets are silenced by her grief. Moreover, our friends the 
Cherons leave Paris to-morrow, and my mother will miss 
them greatly. Our winter will be a dull one ; the future is 
so misty that we dare rely on nothing, and we are again in 
the state of uncertainty from which we were just beginning 
to emerge. It is a curious fact, but the uneasiness and anx- 
iety I can not help feeling under the circumstances, disap- 
pear when I find myself in the presence of him who never- 
theless is their cause. On Thursday night, at the St. Cloud 
theatre, when I beheld the calm countenance of the Em- 
peror, I felt tranquillized and assured of peace and of our 
future. When he first entered his box, he looked grave 
but not anxious. Toward the end he often laughed, and I 
felt tempted to thank him for his gayety, and to augur well 
from the hopes it permitted me to entertain. 

If you care for a piece of news, I may tell you that Count 
Eumford has come back, and all the members of Mme. La- 
voisier's * circle have fled at his approach. As they know 
not where to go, I have taken pity on them without one re- 
proach for their assiduity elsewhere. A coquette complains ; 
a lover suffers ; a friend alone can always enjoy without a 
drawback the pleasures of the present moment. 

* Count Rumford, a German, born in America, was paying his addresses to 
Mme. Lavoisier, whom he afterward married. 



86 LETTERS OF MADAME DE B EMU SAT. 

Did I give you the names of the Ladies-in- Waiting who 
go to Strasbnrg ? I can not recollect. Writing so frequently, 
I fear to repeat myself ; there is so little for me to tell ! I 
seldom go out ; I see few persons, and always the same few, 
and they always say just the same things. When alone, I 
read ; that is my great resource. During your stay in Italy, 
I used to write to you on Eoman history ; now the history of 
France, which I have just taken up, will be my subject. It 
is not an edifying one. Our proud and boastful nation has 
always been as inconsistent, and frequently as unjust and as 
cruel, as others. The following reflection occurred to me : 
judging from the excesses into which she has plunged, France 
is less adapted than other nations for liberal self-government. 
I ventured on airing this opinion before our old friend,* but 
you should have heard him lecture me on my hankering after 
despotism ! " He was not surprised, however — all women 
have a leaning that way." This reminds me that one even- 
ing, when with two other ladies I was playing at cards with 
the Emperor, and he had been amusing himself with some of 
the small gossip of which feminine conversations usually con- 
sist, he said laughingly, " Nous autres femmes^'' and I was 
greatly inclined to answer, '■''Nous autres toIs^ But how I 
am gossiping ! Adieu. I am now going to St. Cloud, and 
will resume my letter when I get back. 

Sunday Morning. 

Bon jour, mon ami. I begin my day, as usual, by think- 
ing of you, and I allow myself the pleasure, besides, of tell- 
ing you so directly I wake. I went to St. Cloud yesterday. 
The Empress, who as usual was kindness itself, expressed a 
wish to see me oftener. I asked her permission to stay a few 
days with her, to which she consented with a readiness that 
went straight to my heart. To-morrow, therefore, I shall 
take up my abode in that royal palace, which, between our- 
selves, seems to me gloomier than ever. I know not how it 

* This old friend must be the Abbe Morellet. 



AT ST. CLOUD. 87 

is, but each dav seems to increase the general reserve and 
suspicion. People seem half afraid of conversing even on 
the most trivial subjects ; there seems to be a prevailing want 
of harmony, and yet, could all hearts be opened, I feel sure 
that the sentiments of each would be extraordinarily alike. 
For my own part, I glide quietly on my way, without pre- 
tensions of any kind, and, as 1 stand in no one's path, I am 
treated with great civility, and I think I am not disliked. 
Only that I have a real affection for the Empress, I confess 
I should have found it hard to leave my mother and children 
while you are away, but I owe her so much love and grati- 
tude, and I have no opportunity of showing them except by 
attending on her. I must not complain, therefore, since my 
actions are nearly always regulated by my affections. 



XLYIII. 

TO M. DE EEMUSAT, AT STKASBUEG. 

St. Cloud, Tuesday, SO Fructidor, Year XIII. 
{September 17, 1S05.) 

I AM writing to you from St. Cloud. I arrived here yes- 
terday evening, and now I am far from all those I love best. 
My mother was rather depressed at my leaving her, for she 
will be quite alone. Our friends the Cherons are on their 
way to Poitiers. You can imagine how she will miss them, 
and what a deprivation it is for Charles ; they were both 
quite sorrowful at losing me. But the Empress is so kind to 
me ; and then, as she herself is on the point of departure, I 
was anxious to spend a few days with her. She is delighted 
at the return of Princess Louis.* Both mother and daughter 
wept with joy on meeting ; they have been truly happy to- 
gether, which is rare in their high station, and perhaps not 
very frequent in a lower rank of life. 

* Princess Louis Bonaparte, or Queen Hortense. 



88 LETTERS OF MADAME DE RMUSAT. 

Prince Louis strikes me as being thinner and feeble ; his 
little son is a fine child.* They left us at eight o'clock, and 
we remained, a party of ladies only, until it was time to retire. 
As you may imagine, the conversation was not veiy lively. 
It turned partly on the neglect with which we are treated by 
you gentlemen of the Emperor's household, and we asked our- 
selves, but of course without obtaining any satisfactory an- 
swer, why you are not more attentive to us. Afterward the 
Emperor sent for the Empress, and we withdrew. I saw M. 
de Caulaincourt for a moment and gave him your message. 
He thinks the Court will depart on the 1st or 2d of the 
month, so you will soon see their Majesties, and we shall be 
reduced to solitude again. 

Immediately on waking this morning I threw open my 
shutters, and the first person I saw was the Emperor walking 
in the park. He is the first to rise and the last to retire, 
always ready and active. May Heaven protect and watch 
over him ! You may be sure that this will be the subject 
of my morning prayer. 

You are very good to tell me about your Alsatian family ; 
I quite love the kind people who know how to appreciate 
you. Your assurances of affection give me such pleasure ! 
I rely with entire confidence on their sincerity ! O mon 
ami, how sweet it is to have such a feeling ! Our mutual 
affection seems like a haven of rest amid the storms of life ; 
it will soothe all the sorrows that we are perhaps destined to 
endure, and will add to all our joys. 

My mother begs you to thank Mme. Dietrich f for her 
remembrance ; she says she found her a charming woman, 
and retains a great regard for her. Adieu for the present. 
I must dress and go down to the Empress ; I shall retm-n to 
my letter afterward. 

* This was the oldest son of Queen Hortense. He died of croup in Holland. 

■f- Mme. Dietrich was the widow, I believe, of the Mayor of Strasburg who 
had perished in the Revolution, and the mother of Mme. Scipion Perier and 
Mme. de Sahunc. 



PREPARATIONS FOR DEPARTURE. 89 

Wednesday. 

I was unable to resume my letter yesterday ; not that I 
had much other occupation, but you know how the time slips 
by here, and, although it is not actually employed in any way, 
still it is not at one's own disposal. In the morning the Em- 
press received a great number of persons as usual, and while 
she was giving audiences and hearing petitions and com- 
plaints of all kinds, I sat at work in a corner of the room, 
thinking of you, my dearest, and of the devoted affection 

that makes my life happy and dear to me. Mme. de S 

was by my side, and, without malice, I could perhaps tell of 
what or of whom she was thinking ; for, between ourselves, 
she makes no attempt to conceal the object of her thoughts 
nor the pleasure they give her. She is very often here, and 
says oj}enly that their Majesties take great pleasure in her so- 
ciety and in her conversation. This I can easily believe ; 
but by proclaiming the fact she excites a good deal of jeal- 
ousy. She forgets that the world seldom forgives, especially 
in a woman, any triumph of which she appears in the least 
conscious. 

Everything is being got ready here for immediate depart- 
ure, and you will soon be in the midst of bustle, and I in 
profound quiet. How dull and sad I shall be until the day 
of your return ! How uninteresting everything is when you 
are away ! 

I have been acting as First Chamberlain this morning. 
The Emperor has commanded the " Menteur " for to-raorrow 
at St. Cloud. I wrote immediately to Maherault ; I gave 
orders about the scenery ; in fact, you would be pleased with 
all the pains I have taken with the performance. I should 
like his Majesty to recognize your zeal in the perfection of 
the piece, and to feel that you and I are in partnership in our 
desire to please him. 

My mother writes that her little favorite is perfectly well. 
I saw her for a moment last night at the Opera, whither I 
accompanied the Empress. " Don Giovanni " was performed, 



90 LETTERS OF MADAME DE REMUSAT. 

but, notwitlistanding the beauty of tlie music, was not a great 
success. Parisians follow the fashion in affecting to admire 
Mozart, but they are not sufficient musicians to appreciate 
his genius. I must admit also that the opera was not par- 
ticularly well rendered. The Emperor was not present — he 
waited to hear the verdict ; perhaps he will go on Friday to 
take leave of the Parisians. 

Adieu. I must now rise and find my way down-stairs. 
I am expecting my poor Alix, who is full of all sorts of anxi- 
ety ; you can understand why. What vexations and crosses 
there are in life ! On the other hand, what blessings and 
delights whenthe journey is made with you ! 



XLIX. 

TO M. DE EEMUSAT, AT STEASBUEG. 

St. Cloud, Tuesday, 1st Complementary, Year XIII. 
{September IS, 1S05.) 

Since yesterday I have been most anxious to tell you of 
several things that I have heard, but was afraid of trusting to 
the post ^ Hebert,* however, is just starting, and I shall send 
my letter by him. Again it is Comedie that is in question. 
Yesterday, Monday, before coming to St. Cloud, I had Des- 
faucherets to dine with me, and he gave me the following 
history : Last Friday Miles. Duchesnois, Yolnais, and Bour- 
goin betook themselves to St. Cloud, where the Empress re- 
ceived them. The first lady asked for her holiday, the sec- 
ond for a more important role, and the third for I know not 
what. They complained also of you. The Empress listened 
to everything with her usual kindness, and protested against 
injustice. She sent for Auguste de Talleyrand,f and ordered 

* The Emperor s valet. 

f M. Auguste dc Talleyrand, cousin to M. de Talleyrand, was one of the 



TROUBLES AT THE GOMEDIE. 91 

liim to give the young ladies a holiday and a role. Aiiguste, 
who was quite taken aback, said he had no power to do this, 
and that he could only venture on it if her Majesty would 
give express commands to that effect. As she did not think 
proper to commit herself so far, she dismissed the young la- 
dies with many promises. You may imagine the bad effect 
of this at the theatre. Auguste de Talleyrand, on his way 
up to his own quarters, told the whole story to Campenon,* 
adding that he did not know what offense you had given at 
the theatre, but that the Emperor had said things were get- 
ting on very badly there. Desfaucherets also told me that 
Campenon receives threatening anonymous letters every day ; 
he is warned to expect a thrashing, and is told that your in- 
tentions are well known (I do not know how), and that it is 
not to be endured that a man like himself, who thinks poorly 
of actors, should be allowed to govern them. Lastly, Dazin- 
court paid him a visit of congratulation and abused Mahe- 
rault. I considered that you ought to be informed of all 
this. You would do well to come to some arrangement, for 
everything is greatly disorganized here. As for me, I will do 
my best to shield you during the short remaining stay of their 
Majesties, and, if I hear anything further, I shall contrive 
some way of letting you know. 

Mon ami, I wish also to speak to you about M. de ITan- 
souty. Caulaincourt told me that the Emperor had stated 
publicly that he had received his resignation. I mentioned 
this to Prince Louis, who seemed to take a great interest in 
the matter. He blames ITansouty, however, for taking such 
a step, but will try to smooth matters over. I may not hear 

Chamberlains and had the care of the Opera Comique. He also undertook the 
First Chamberlain's duties in the absence of the latter. Under the Restoration 
he was minister in Switzerland. 

* M. Campenon, a literary man and subsequently a member of the French 
Academy, was, either then or shortly afterward. Imperial Commissioner of the 
Opera Comique. He filled Maherault's place at the Theatre Fran9ais during his 
illness, and there was some intention of keeping him there permanently. 



92 LETTERS OF MADAME DE REMU8AT. 

anything more of it here, but you will probably know, being 
on the spot, and will keep me informed.* 

I am so hurried, as Hebert is starting, that I must con- 
clude my letter. Moreover, these vexatious incidents are 
depressing, and I feel almost unable to write on other sub- 
jects. You in your wisdom will act as you think fit, while I, 
in my love for you, can only distress myseK. Adieu. I 
have been here at St. Cloud since yesterday evening. They 
talk to me of you there, but I would rather talk of you with 
Charles. 



L. 

TO M. DE KEMtJSAT, AT STEASBUKG. 

Thursday^ 2d Complementary, Year XIII. 
{Septemher 19, 1805.) 

I AM in a state of nervousness such as you have often ex- 
perienced on days of performance at the Comedie. I hope 
all will go well this evening, and please the Emperor ; if not, 
I shall be terribly disappointed. A circumstance has hap- 
pened at the Comedie with regard to this performance, for 
which I am partly to blame. About a year ago I saw Fleury 
act the Menteur, and Dugazon the Yalet, so I wrote to Ma- 
herault asking him for those two actors. Dazincourt f flew 
into a violent passion, and wrote to me, saying that you had 
divided the part of the valet into two, and that the Menteur 
was one of his parts. He said that if the Emperor com- 
manded it he would obey, but that he should at the same 
time send in his resignation. As his Majesty had said nothing 
about the actors, I wrote to Maherault that I did not claim 

* M. de Nansouty had been appointed Chamberlain to the Empress, a very 
insignificant post, which he resigned, without, however, faUing into disgrace with 
the Emperor, who made him his First Equerry. 

f Dazincourt's reputation as an actor was inferior to that of Dugazon, hia 
colleague. 



DOINGS AT THE PALACE. 93 

the slightest right to alter the distribution of the parts, and 
that therefore M. Dazineourt must act. This is my most 
serious misadventure at present. 

Since I am on the subject of the irvpot, I must tell you 
that the three actresses who were received by the Empress 
have since made a great boast of their visit to her. I men- 
tioned this to her Majesty, who commanded me to tell you 
that what she said to them has been greatly exaggerated ; 
that, far from promising leave of absence to Mile. Duches- 
nois, she had replied that since you, who are her director, had 
refused her application, there must be good reasons for not 
granting it. But all the additions made to her words by these 
young ladies have convinced her that she will do well not to 
admit them in future. When she arrives at Strasburg you 
will be able, much better than I, to explain your reasons for 
refusing leave of absence. Believe me, it is of pressing im- 
portance that you should contrive a favorable opportunity of 
discussing all that I wrote to you by Hebert. 

My mind has been set quite at ease on the subject about 
which I wrote the other day. My brother-in-law's affair 
seems to be arranged. What Caulaincourt told me was 
merely a hearsay. I^ansouty was told, on the contrary, that 
fighting was at hand, and that he must remain, and that 
on his return matters should be settled differently. Alix 
came here yesterday morning. The Empress kept her to 
dinner and treated her with the greatest kindness. At five 
o'clock we walked out with the Emperor. It was the first 
time I had spoken with him since my arrival. He inquired 
very kindly after you, and asked Alix after her husband in 
a way that quite reassured her. After our walk came dinner, 
and in the evening we sang and danced with Princess Louis. 
The Empress was in a state of enchantment with her grand- 
son, who had been behaving very prettily to his uncle. He 
is really a sweet child, prattling all sorts of pretty little 
speeches without appearing to have learned them. He has 
the kind heart of his mother, whom I can never praise too 



94 LETTERS OF MADAME DE E^MUSAT. 

much. She seems to me to grow every day in wisdom and in 
grace ; she combines great simplicity of manner with perfect 
dignity, and an enlightened judgment with an unfailing in- 
dulgence. Princess Borghese is here, rather better in health, 
but still extremely weak. She looks lovely in her deep 
mourning; her abiding grief, and the sorrowful thoughts 
it occasions her, have given a certain melancholy grace 
to her demeanor which is not unattractive. She is very 
affable, and I, in particular, can only congratulate myself 
on her behavior toward me. 

I had news of our children yesterday ; they are perfectly 
well. I am going to write to Charles ; if you have any mes- 
sage for him send it me quickly. Adieu for to-day. I will 
not close my letter until to-morrow, so as to give you an ac- 
count of the play to-night. Auguste de Talleyrand is in the 
country ; M. de Yiry * and I are managing everything. 

Friday Morning. 

The play went off well ; the Emperor was pleased, and 
the " Menteur " was acted to perfection. Until seven o'clock 
I was on thorns, as you used to be. When dinner was over 
I went to the theatre to give a Chamberlain's eye to every- 
thing. All the actors had arrived, except Mme. Talma.f 
Six o'clock came, then seven, and no Mme. Talma. I was as 
distressed as a certain friend of mine on similar occasions, 
especially as the Emperor wanted the play early in order to 
hold a council afterward. At last, at half -past seven, she 
made her appearance, accompanied by her husband, whom I 

* M. de Viry was a Piedmontese and one of the Emperor's Chamberlains, 
lie was made a senator shortly afterward. 

f This was Talma's second wife, Mile. Vanhove, a daughter of Monvel's. 
She had been divorced from her first husband, M. Petit. She appeared first in 
tragedy, and, it seems, acted very effectively. Afterward she acted the prin- 
cipal parts in comedy, and succeeded equally well. She was even thought to 
surpass Mile. Contat in parts requiring simplicity, truth, and modesty, rather 
than coquetry and display. After Talma's death, she married the Vicomte de 
Chalot. 



CHARLES PRESENTED TO TEE EMPRESS. 95 

had to quiet down. They had come in a hackney-coacli, the 
horses walJcing, and Tahna exciting himself to such a degree 
that he was ill on arriving, and could not have acted if wanted. 
But all went well, and you would have been satisfied. Talma 
told me that the Minister of Police had spoken to the Em- 
peror on his behalf, and that his Majesty had replied that he 
had intended speaking to you on the subject of the theatre 
and of Talma, but that you were gone, and that he would 
do so later. I believe this will be the last performance, and 
that the departure of the Court is close at hand. My heart 
aches when I think of it ; there will be sad leave-takings. 
Five of your Chamberlains will join you. The Empress 
does not know whom she is to take with her. She wishes to 
start with the Emperor, but no preparations are being made 
in her household. I am beginning to make mine for my 
quiet retreat. By-the-way, would you believe that our ten 
thousand francs are not yet paid ? I am beginning to de- 
spair, and I don't know how I shall pay my debts. If 
all our endeavors are vain, you must make a last effort at 
Strasburg. 

I had the pleasure of presenting your son to the Empress 
yesterday. She thought him greatly improved, and pre- 
dicted that he will be a very handsome man. I felt a little 
proud, I must confess, of my fine boy, as I was leading him 
about from room to room. He kissed her Majesty's hand 
very prettily ; you know how graceful he is ; and the rest of 
the day he rambled about in the gardens and park. Both he 
and I grumbled at having no letters from you for the last 
five days. You can not say the same of me, for you must 
have received several. 



96 LETTERS OF MADAME DE EEMUSAT. 

' LI. 

TO M. DE KEMUSAT, AT STKASBUEG. 

Saturday, Jitli Complementary, Year XIII. 
{September SI, 1805.) 

I COME to you, mon ami, quite tired out with, my morn- 
ing ; I feel the need of communion with a heart that can 
understand mine, and of mingling a little affection with the 
day's work. From ten o'clock this morning the Empress 
has been receiving such a number of people that I have not 
been able to see her for one moment. I have passed the 
whole time among strange faces that interested me but little. 
Among others, I saw Mme. de Coigny * for the first time. 
She completely bewildered me by her flow of words and 
screeching voice. She did me the honor of addressing most 
of her conversation to me, but can have no high idea of my 
intelligence, for I was so astonished at her style of behavior 
that I felt no inclination to reply. I do not know how the 
Empress can listen patiently to so many persons. It would 
be quite beyond my power, and I am always filled with ad- 
miration at the unwearied kindness with which she receives 
the petitions of the last as well as of the first comers. 

Meanwhile the Emperor is working with superhuman as- 
siduity. Sometimes, when over-tired, he goes to bed at seven 
or eight o'clock and is up again at eleven. It is reported 
here that on Monday he goes to the Senate, and will start 
immediately afterward. Mon ami, what a journey ! How 
anxious it makes me ! I feel as if with him all the repose 
and happiness we were beginning to enjoy will depart. May 
Heaven watch over him ! You know that when I am in 

* The Marquise de Coigny (Mile, de Conflans), the mother of Mme. Sebas- 
tiani, was a clever woman of the old-fashioned type. My father had met her in 
his youth, and remembered her rather affected and sharp sayings. She had a 
great reputation for wit, but a coarse voice, which made people say that there 
was only one against her — ^her own. 



MLLE. VOLNAIS. 97 

trouble I have recourse to religion, whicli alone comforts me. 
Whatever you may, all of you, say against it, this inclination 
to turn toward God when our soul is sorrowful, is one of the 
best gifts of his goodness, and a strong proof of his exist- 
ence in a world that is full of troubles. To return to mine : 
when I question the depths of my heart, I find they are 
caused first by my separation from you, and by my position, 
whicli is so contrary to all my feelings and inclinations and 
individuality. Thinking thus, I am disposed to look at the 
dark side of everything, and I should not be surprised at any 
additional sorrow, nor even a fresh calamity. Mon aini, 
your presence would banish all these feelings, and your words 
of love and affection would sustain me under the misfortunes 
with which, perhaps, we are threatened. To us women, the 
tender emotions of the heart are all that is of importance in 
our lives, while to most men they are only an occasional 
solace. This remark, however, which has slipped somehow 
from my pen, is far from being applicable to you, and in 
whatever position we may be placed in the future, our mut- 
ual affection will sustain us in affliction, or double all our 

joj. • • . ^ 

I have just been receiving Mile. Volnais.* The Empress 
is overwhelmed with her visits. The young lady informed 
me that you had advised her to obtain a powerful patron or 
patroness, and that, if I were to write to you that she was 
befriended by her Majesty, you would accede to her request 
with respect to the Comedie. I could not understand her 
long rigmarole ; she says that Mile. Bourgoin is extremely 



* Mile. Volnais was a descendant of Placide, the tight-rope dancer. She 
carne out at the Comedie Fran9aise in 1800, and retired from the stage in 1822. 
She was celebrated for her beauty, and was considered a superior actress in 
quiet or tender characters, both of tragedy and comedy. She returned to the 
stage in 1833, undertaking successfully the part of la Mere coupable. Mile. 
Bourgoin, her especial rival, acted also a great variety of parts, or, as it used to 
be called at the time, wore' with equal ease the sock or the buskin — we should 
express it at the present day, " She wore either mask." 
5 



98 LETTERS OF MADAME BE REMUS AT. 

insolent and makes her life wretched. I promised, as I 
always do, to write to you, and I have kept my word. 

I have just received a letter from you, very sweet and a 
little sad ; it just suits my mood. How well you describe 
what I have been feeling for the last month, and how true it 
is that it will alternately brighten and dim the recollections 
of the past ! You say you are dull too. Although my af- 
fection is gratified by the regrets you do not hide from me, I 
yet feel ill at ease when I think that you are melancholy. I 
have long wished that when we are perforce separated, I could 
keep all the suffering for my own share. The Emperor was 
asking after you the day before yesterday, and whether you 
had mentioned the pretty Alsatian women to me. 

We see very little of his Majesty. Ever since I came 
here on Monday he has been unceasingly at work ; I have 
only seen him twice. One might well say of him, as of the 
King of Prussia, " Here is a king who does not spare him- 
self!" 



LII. 

TO M. DE EEMUSAT, AT STRA8BURG. 

Paris, Sunday, 5 Complementaire^ Year XIII 
{September 22, 1805.) 

M. DE Caulaincourt is good enough to take charge of 
this letter. He will see you in a very few days. Just now, 
at the moment of the Emperor's departure, I feel more sor- 
rowful than ever that I may not join you, for it is no use 
deceiving one's self, and I think it will be long before we 
meet again. 

I hope at least that you will not be seized with M. de 
Lugay's martial ardor ; it made me tremble yesterday. You 
must know that in order to satisfy a large number of the 
nobility who wish to serve, but whom there would be a diffi- 
culty in placing in the army, the Emperor has invented a 



THE GUARD OF HONOR. 99 

guard of honor, to whicli any one with a' certain amount of 
fortune will be eligible. This corps, which is commanded 
by M. de Segur, will escort his Majesty. M. de Bouille has 
joined it, and so has Cesar de Choiseul.* M. de Lugay came 
yesterday to ask me whether I did not think it was the Em- 
peror's intention that all his household should enter this 
corps, and what I was going to advise you to do. I can not 
describe to you my feelings when he asked me this question ; 
I really believe my hair stood on end, and I felt a sharp pain 
at my heart. I replied, however, that had you been under 
thirty years of age, whatever might have been my own feel- 
ings, I certainly should have advised you to join, but that, 
although you were still young, I did not think you sufficiently 
so to change your calling in life, especially being a married 
man and the father of a family. On this I left him and wept 
in solitude, quite unable to restrain myself ; I was so upset, 
that I found myself speaking aloud to you as if you could 
hear me. I regret now what I wrote to you yesterday. Do 
not, my beloved, add fresh troubles to the sorrow of separa- 
tion. I suffer, but I will not murmur at your absence, since 
you are doing your duty. Follow your Emperor ; serve him 
at the post to which he has appointed you ; but think of me 
also, for for further anxieties courage fails me. . . . 

Monday Morning. 

The Emperor is going to the Senate, and has asked for 
his gala-coat and his diamonds. You have taken away the 
keys, so the locks ha'd to be forced. He will take his depart- 
ure to-morrow, it seems. There is a gloom over everything 
here, and I ha.ve no courage to speak to any one except Cau- 
laincourt. To him and to his friendship I have confided my 
fears and anxieties, and he promised to watch over you with 

* This M. de Bouille died blind, leaving a son, the Marquis Rene de Bouille, 
who was ambassador in Spain under M. Thiers's Government. Cesar de Choiseul- 
Beaupre was aide-de-camp to M. de Nansouty, to whom he was distantly related. 
His widow married the Prince de Poliornac. 



100 LETTERS OF MADAME DE REMUSAT. 

a kindliness that touched me to the heart. In the name of 
all the happiness of my life, I implore you to take care of 
your health, and be certain of one thing — if you were ill, no 
matter in what part of the world, or what might be my own 
state of health, I should instantly go to you. . . . 

If you mention the Comedie Frangaise to the Empress, be 
sure to tell her that it was not I, but Maherault, who wrote 
to you about the consequences of her good-nature to those 
actresses, and speak only of the message he sent you through 
me. She has been extremely kind ; I lament her absence too. 
Life is pleasant in her company, and one's heart feels satisfied. 
I am now. going to rejoin my poor mother, who has to spend 
a winter with two very sorrowful and tiresome daughters. 
She says, in one of her letters, that she wiU never forgive 
herself for having brought up two such devoted wives. 

I inclose the memorandum on the theatres,* It seems to 
me to be well drawn up. Read it, mxyn ami, and use it as 
soon as possible, for it is important to put a stop to the daily 
increasing confusion. Adieu ; in a few hours the Emperor's 
departure will have taken place, and I shall be on my way to 
Paris. I hope you will write to me on the Emperor's arri- 
val, and tell me how he receives you. I am going to em- 
brace your children and find comfort in their society. 



LIII. 

TO M. DE KEMUSAT, AT STKASBTIEG. 

Paris, Tuesday^ 2 Vendemiaire, Year XIV. 
{September 24, 1805.) 

I AM at home once more with the dear children. I feel 
better here ; everything recalls your presence and seems to 

* This was a memorandum which my grandfather had requested Desfauche- 
rets to send him, with the intention of laying before the Emperor his views of 
the reforms re'quired in that department. 



AFFAIRS IR PARIS. 101 

draw us nearer together. I left St. Cloud yesterday with a 
heavy heart, and I could see my own feelings reflected in 
every countenance. I could not restrain my tears on taking 
leave of the Empress. I told her how ardently I desired 
every blessing for the Emperor, and then I had to come away 
in tears. Oh, what a moment ! and what will it bring forth 
in the future ! 

Paris seems to me rather disturbed just now. The Pari- 
sians are depressed by the war and by the absence of those 
who keep up luxury and expenditure. The conscription, the 
levying of troops, the guard of honor, and the ISTational 
Guard occupy every one's thoughts, as you may imagine. I 
saw Louis de Vergennes this morning ; he is delighted with 
the decree,* because he gets into uniform again. Only for 
his children, I think he would apply to reenter the army; 
for he is greatly inclined to do so, I assure you. He is a 
patriotic Frenchman, and has a thoroughly grateful disposi- 
tion. 

Mme. de Vannoise thanks you for your kindness to her 
son, and makes the following request on his behalf : M. de 
Yannoise wrote to Constance, and told her to say to her 
brother that he should ask you to present him to the Emperor 
as the son of a man who, by virtue of his military rank, had 
a seat in the King's carriages. His mother rightly thinks this 
an insuflScient reason, and that he is not yet of rank sufficient 
to claim such an honor. But that she may not seem to be 
acting in opposition to her husband, you must speak to the 
young man on the subject, and then write to me, and I will 
tell Constance. Do not forget. 

I saw a courier this morning who told me you were in 
good health. May you remain so ; for you will need health 
for your travels. I think that perhaps you may find it nec- 
essary to make a circuit in this direction, unless you can find 

* This first trial of a guard of honor came to nothing. Louis de Vergennes 
was the second son of the Minister of that name. 



102 LETTERS OF MADAME DE REMUSAT. 

time to make up your accounts while at Strasburg. We are 
now at the end of the year, and Osmont says that M. de Tal- 
leyrand is quite at sea about the accounts, and that you only 
can give him the information he requires. 

While on the subject of money, I must tell you that I 
have not received my ten thousand francs. I mentioned it 
to the Empress, telling her how straitened were my means, 
and what a deluge of bills was pouring in on me ; she prom- 
ised she would mention it, but has not done so. Mme. de la 
Hochef oucauld * has written to M. de Talleyrand, in her own 
name and ours, and the Grand Chamberlain answered that he 
would speedily settle the matter. ^Nevertheless, it is not set- 
tled ; we all of us beg that you will attend to it, and, for my 
own part, I am so worried that, if it altogether fails, I must 
sell my shawls and other belongings to pay for my Court 
dresses.f 

We are going to lead a very quiet life with two or three 
friends that you know of. I feel that, far from wishing to 
increase my circle, I shall rather narrow it, so as to avoid 
hearing all the false rumors that will be circulated, and 
which, although against reason, one tries in vain to dis- 
believe. I have already been kindly informed that the Rus- 
sians had already passed through Yienna, and have left that 
city. I imposed silence on all, and then I stated positively 
that I should only believe what I read in the " Moniteur." 
How I should love that paper if it would give me some news 
of the First Chamberlain ! While speaking of the First 
Chamberlain, I must tell him that I believe he has some real 
friends at the palace, who gladly speak well of him ; among 

* Madame Alexandre de la Rochefoucauld was Lady of Honor to the Em- 
press. 

f The salaries of the Court officials were paid with an irregularity and delay 
that are almost unintelligible at the present day. The alternations between 
splendor and poverty in which people then passed their lives are worthy of 
note, and, although I have suppressed many details of family or monetary 
affairs, I have thought it advisable to retain a few instances of this curious state 
of things. 



PLANS FOR STUDY. 103 

others, M. de Yiry, General CafEarelli, M. de Canisy, who is 
an excellent creature for all his madcap ways, and some more 
besides. They have all established a right to my affection, 
and M. de Caulaincourt, to whom I was saying this, assured 
me that in that case he ought to be in the front rank of my 
friends ; and I believe him. Our service is all arranged for 
the next two months. The Empress settled it herself. I 
shall be in waiting in December and January, the same 
weeks, I believe, as Mme. de Brignole,* and Mmes, IN'ey f 
and Marescot are down for the same months as I. By that 
time I think her Majesty will have returned to Paris, where 
she will be less lonely than at Strasburg after the Emperor 
has left her. If not, I shall be obliged to give up my turn 
of service, since I could not travel so far. In that case, you 
know beforehand what will be my occupations, and you will 
probably find a very learned wife and son on your return, for 
we shall study very hard. I shall try to find time between 
Greek and Latin to read a little history with Charles. If you 
approve, he shall take fencing-lessons once or twice a week, 
so as to learn to hold himself well. I could afford this the 
more easily, because, being under no obligation as to dress, I 
could save the money to pay for them. Yet, notwithstand- 
ing my intended economy, I see plainly that our necessary 
expenses will reach a high amount, and that we are living 
beyond our means. The war is raising the price of every- 
thing. Tradesmen make use of any pretext for raising their 
prices, but since I have taken to housekeeping I have never 
known them find a reason for lowering them. . . . 

* Mme. de Brignole was a Genoese. She is the mother of that Brignole 
who was Sardinian ambassador in France, and of the Duchesse de Dalberg. 

f Mme. Ney was Mile. Auguie, daughter of one of Marie Antoinette's dress- 
ers. 



104 LETTERS OF MADAME DE R^MUSAT. 



Liy. 



TO M. DE KEMUSAT, AT STRASBURG. 

Paris, 4 Vendeniiaire, Year XIV. 
(September 26, 1S05.) 

I RECEIVED a letter from you yesterday, by which I see 
how busy you are, for it is very short. I imagine you must 
have become more and more pressed with work, until the 
arrival of their Majesties brought it to a climax. I presume 
they are now at Strasburg, and that M. de Caulaineourt has 
given you my little packet of letters. You will tell me if 
they have been of any use to you, and tell me especially how 
you yourself are getting on. I am really in a state of sus- 
pense about you which is distressing. M, de Talleyrand told 
me yesterday that he thought you would have orders to ac- 
company the Emperor, and that I must send you plenty of 
flannel. But, seriously, are you in want of any winter outfit, 
and what shall I send you ? I hope you have been rewarded 
for all the trouble you have had at Strasburg, by their Majes- 
ties' approval of your arrangements. The Empress was told 
beforehand that her apartments could not be made very 
comfortable, but she was so anxious to accompany the Emper- 
or that she would not be balked by any personal inconven- 
ience. Alas ! I can sympathize with her ! The greatest of 
evils is to be separated from those we love. 

Paris is profoundly gloomy. Everybody remains at home 
in a state of anxiety and suspense ; the theatres are deserted ; 
people groan and await in silence the beginning of great 
events. The moderation of the Emperor's speech is greatly 
praised ; people desire his success, some sincerely, others from 
interested motives; for he bears the proud title, as Abbe 
Morellet used to say, of the Necessary Man. 

As for me, I am going to live in great sohtude. My poor 
sister comes to see me every day ; she is full of anxiety and 
weeps continually. Wliy are you both such good husbands, 



M. RUMFORD'S COURTSHIP. 105 

and are not we verj foolish that we can not exist without you ? 
Alix fancies you will have greater facilities than herself for 
forwarding her letters to M. de Nansouty, because there is 
no post to Pirmasenz,* Answer me about this. 

Your Grand Chamberlain wants you to amuse him with 
a play at Strasburg, and intends to speak to you on the sub- 
ject. I was quite gratified at his reception of me. I had 
occasion to speak to him about something that he will tell you 
and that I wrote to you by M. de Caulaincourt. It relates 
to Sobek's mistress.f I wanted him to quiet her ; he had 
already done so. He said he should tell you that I am very 
fond of you, and I replied that on that head you had nothing 
further to learn. He spoke in his usual style about the inner 
life at Court ; saying that we were prudes, and that when we 
emancipated ourselves, we should, from not knowing how to 
be coquettes, be something worse. I thought it a clever 
remark, for it is true that our utter want of occupation and 
a little pedantry are more dangerous than might be expected. 
But you may feel quite easy about me, for I am never unoc- 
cupied, and my boy leaves me little leisure for thinking of 
anything but himself, or, in other words, of you. 

We have heard from our friends the Cherons.;}: They 
are delighted with their journey, and not dissatisfied with 
their new residence. The house is very nice, with a beautiful 
garden. They were warmly received, and this consoled them 
a little for all they have given up. The husband is going to 
try to be of use in his district, his wife will be feted and 
courted, and both will be happy. The Abbe Morellet is re- 
signed to their absence ; he is pleased at the advantages it 
seems to promise for his niece. M. Rumf ord has come back, 
and the house in the Rue d'Anjou is transformed into the 
isle of Cyprus, according to mamma's account. All is per- 
fume and enchantment. The new Adonis has brought a 

* A town in Bavaria. 

^ Sobek's mistress was Mme. Devaines, and Sobek was a little dog. 

X M. Cheron had just been appointed Prefect of Vienne. 



106 LETTERS OF MADAME DE BMUSAT. 

hautboy-player with him from Germany ; he is stationed in 
a httle hut, and while he draws forth the most ravishing 
sounds, the goddess of the place, lying gracefully extended 
on a sofa, throws tender glances at the object of all her 
thoughts, and finds a new fire in his eyes with which to 
enkindle her own. People wonder if they are, or are to be, 
married. ISTo one can tell, but they seem happy. They in- 
tend to travel in France all the winter, which puts the finish- 
ing stroke to Bertrand's despair. 



LY, 



TO M. DE EEMUSAT, AT STRASBTJEG. 

Paris, Saturday, 6 Vendemiaire, Year XIV. 
{September 28, 1805.) 

"Whenever I hear of an opportunity of writing, I feel 
that I must not neglect it. Herbault is just setting off, and 
he promises to deliver this letter to you. I inclose a little 
note that M. Salembini has just written at the corner of my 
table. It is an account of the difficulties in which Osmont * 
is placed by your absence. It seems that in order to get out 
of them he takes a great deal upon himself which perhaps 
you will not aj)prove. If this be so, could you not send for 
him to Strasburg, if you can not get away yourself ? 

I am in a distressing state of uncertainty. I am anxiously 
waiting to hear from you after the Emperor's arrival at Stras- 
burg, and I can no*t tell what day to expect a letter. No doubt 
you are full of work ; and then, are you to accompany the 
Emperor ? But for what purpose ? Day and night I wear 
myself out in conjecture ! Sorrowful thoughts from which 

* Osmont had to discharge part of the duties of the Grand Chamberlain, and 
consequently the business of the Court theatrical performances devolved partly 
upon him. 



THE ACTORS AGAIN. 107 

there is no issue ! I am profoundly sad. Is it possible that 
our days of happiness are over ? 

I am ashamed that you should see my weakness, but 
everything around me conduces to it. There is great con- 
sternation here, and it is increased by the malevolent. A 
run on the bank the last two days has embarrassed it, and 
the guard was forced to disperse the crowds that gathered 
round the doors. The conscription irritates people, and the 
future alarms them ; to escape from it all I am obliged to 
shut myself up with two little boys that you know. They 
are so happy, so peaceful, so ignorant of danger, that at last, 
in their quiet company, I become calm myself. 

As you may imagine, the theatres are losers by the state 
of the public mind. They are empty, and the actors grum- 
ble incessantly. If I would do as they want me, I should 
see them every day, to hsten to their complaints. Mile. 
Volnais wrote to me that the Empress's promise that she 
should act by turns with Mile. Bourgoin has caused her a 
great deal of annoyance, and that she wanted to tell me 
about it. I replied that I could not help it, and that she had 
better write to you. She says that you advised her to apply 
to me. Mile. Contat attacks me for the thousand crowns 
that she says you promised her. Talma is very grateful. 
He is much attached to you, and wishes you could return 
here, because, he says, everything is going to ruin, and no- 
body obeys Maherault. However, " Athalie " is in rehearsal ; 
he knows " Manlius," and is learning " Catilina," and he 
says that if the Comedie chose, they might draw a house, in 
spite of the dreariness of the times. ... 



108 LETTERS OF MADAME DE EMUSAT. 

LVI. 

TO M. DE EEMUSAT, AT STEASBUKG. 

Paris, Monday, 8 Vendemiaire, Year XIV. 
{September SO, 1805.) 

. . . Our life here is rather dull, as you may imagine. 
All our friends are either in the country or with the army, 
and Paris is empty. But our retired life pleases me better 
than any other just now, for I should have to pay for the 
pleasure of society by the misery of hearing all the evil 
rumors that are disseminated, and they are legion, I am 
too anxious and too agitated to listen to them with the indif- 
ference they deserve. In fact, I must admit that I can not 
help quarreling with people who come and repeat to me the 
absurdities they have heard. The day before yesterday I 
silenced a person * who, in my own house, was finding fault 
with everything and everybody. You would have been as- 
tonished — you, who know that I do not like to put myself 
forward when the company is at all numerous — at the firm- 
ness and the comparative calmness with which I said I was 
surprised that any one should select my house, at such a time 
as the present, for the repetition of rumors which must be 
alarming to everybody. You will guess pretty well to whom 
I thus addressed myseK, when I tell you it was to that hus- 
band of one of our dearest friends, of whom you often say 
he has the spirit sic autem contra. He was rather surprised 

* This was M. de Mezy, whom my grandfather does not name on account of 
the insecurity of the post. This continual apprehension explains the reticence, 
and many turns of expression, throughout the whole correspondence. M. de 
Mezy was a well-informed man, who had acquired a stock of ideas in England 
which had made him a Liberal, although he did not always act like one under 
the Restoration. He had been at school at Juilly, but was younger than my 
grandfather. He married Mile. Veron and died a peer of France. His son, 
who was only known to my generation in his latter days, was an amiable, lively, 
and well-informed man of the world. 



MONEY TROUBLES. 109 

at my manner, but held his peace, and my mother thinks I 
did right. 

Another trouble to this good city of Paris is the prevail- 
ing scarcity of money. Bank payments were suddenly inter- 
rupted, general alarm ensued, and there are now such crowds 
waiting their turn, that a guard is necessary to keep order. 
This measure, which makes creditors more than ever press- 
ing, is inconveniencing me very much. By-the-way, M. 
Esteve * is now with you ; he told me again, before leaving 
Paris, that we could receive our month's pay by sending an 
application with our own signature to him, yet when Alix 
wrote to his cashier, he replied that an authorization from 
M. de iN^ansouty would be necessary. A note from M. 
Esteve to his cashier would be sufficient ; please ask him for 
it, for my sister and myself. 

I see two persons every day who are so wretched that I 
can no longer complain when I think of them. One is our 
cousin Yannoise, who bemoans by turns her poverty, her 
daughter, and her sons. The other is poor Mme. de Grasse, 
Her son is very ill, and given over by the doctors.f She 
nurses him night and day ; her means are exhausted, and her 
courage is failing. If you could possibly obtain some help 
for her from the Empress, you might tell Deschamps to write 
and inform Mme. de la Kochefoucauld of this. You would 
be doing a truly kind action. To add to the troubles of the 
poor woman, it seems to me that she is not on good terms 
with her hosts, and feels distressed at being indebted to 
them ; when people bestow favors they can not be too mind- 
ful always to seek forgiveness, so to speak, for the services 
they have rendered. I went once to visit the lady in the 
house opposite theirs. She is becoming more calm.:}: She 

* M. Esteve was Treasurer-General to the Crown. 

f Gustave de Grasse cheated the doctors, for he did not die until 1858, aged 
sixty-seven, after a very active and busy life. He suffered, however, from an 
affection of the liver. 

\ Mine, de Grasse lived in the Rue Royalc, at her cousin's, Mme. de Sainte- 
Marguerite, opposite Mme. Devaines's. 



110 LETTERS OF MADAME BE RA'MVSAT. 

was, at first, for writing tremendous letters, burning her fine 
clothes, and renouncing the world. " I shall retire to a cot- 
tage," she wrote to me, " ISTo," I answered, " you will not ; 
you will stay by your fireside and receive your friends." 
Her auger is now appeased, and she is quite determined to 
preserve a strict silence, which will last as long as may be. 
I seldom go to her, for, whatever people say, she is no friend 
of mine. 

Josephine and her husband start for ISTice to-morrow. 
They are going to spend the winter there on account of 
their child, who is in a sad state,^ Our friends the Cherons 
are settled and in the midst of all the business and bother of 
provincial etiquette. JSTorvins is in despair, and calls upon 
you. If you can not help him he will die of suppressed am- 
bition. He often comes to see me, more for want of some- 
thing to do than from incKnation ; certainly not for my 
jDleasure. What else can I tell you ? Abbe Morellet is ag- 
ing and sleeps a good deal. Bertrand sighs, Mme. Lavoisier 
is off to Provence, my sister weeps, and my mother rails 
against conjugal affection. It is not her fault that we do 
not lead a gayer life. She says it would make us much 
pleasanter if we did. She is always pleasant, her good spir- 
its are inexhaustible ; without her I should laugh but sel- 
dom. 



LYII. 

TO M. DE EEMUSAT, AT STRASBUEG. 

Paris, 10 Vendemiaire, Year XIV. 
(Octobers, 1805) 

I DO not hear from you, 7non ami. I grieve, but I do 
not complain, for I know that since his Majesty's arrival you 
have little leisure ; so I will be patient, if possible. You can 

* Josephine is Mme. de Mezy. The child mentioned in the letter died 
young. He was not the Mezy whom we knew. 



FINANCIAL DEPRESSION. Ill 

understand, however, tliat I am doubly anxious, for 1 am in 
a painful state of ignorance as to wliat will become of you. 
Are you to follow the Emperor immediately ? Where am I 
to address our letters ? Are you still at Strasburg ? These 
questions are always before me, and I can not decide one of 
them. So soon as you are able, pray write me one word. I 
really need it. As for me, who am always writing to you, I 
have no news to tell. We are all in good health, grand- 
mother, mother, and children ; we are continually talking of 
you, of this dreadful war, and of the separations it entails. 
My mother and I begin the day by reading the Moniteur at 
breakfast, and following the march of our troops and of those 
wretched Austrians on the map. We have already looked a 
hundred times over at Meiningen and Stockach.* Then 
Alix makes her appearance, and, with a sigh, looks for Pir- 
masenz, although her husband may no longer be there. We 
all hope and pray for the success of our master, and I con- 
fess that I am agitated when I think he is going to risk a 
life on which the happiness of a generation depends. How 
I regret that my ill health forbade me to accompany the 
Empress ! I am sure that you at Strasburg, close to the 
troops and in the midst of' the dangers they are about to con- 
front, are less alarmed and anxious than we. I^o efforts are 
wanting here to disturb the public peace, and the sudden 
scarcity of silver is a capital opportunity for arousing alarm, 
and has not been overlooked by the evil-disposed. A great 
crowd of people wait their turn at the bank, and this causes 
few payments, and of comparatively small sums, to be made. 
There is a stop to all business ; creditors press on every side 
whom it is impossible to satisfy, and yet it is said that, with 
a little frank good-will, all this confusion would soon come 
to an end. 

This is the latest news I can give you. Do not imagine, 
however, that the Parisians restrict themselves to this one 

* Meiningen is the capital of the duchy of Saxe-Meiningen, ten leagues from 
Gotha. Stockach is near Constance, in the grand-duchy of Baden. 



112 LETTERS OF MADAME DE REMtfSAT. 

subject for recreation. Oh ! we know liow to vary our amuse- 
ments, and after spending the morning in discussing, rightly 
or wrongly, the causes of this scarcity of money, the war, 
and the political system of Europe, we discourse with equal 
warmth on the " Hullah de Samarcande," * which has just 
been produced at Feydeau, or on Martin's f sudden cold, for 
which M. de Talleyrand sent him to prison for eighteen 
hours, and we retire to rest quite satisfied with our judgment 
on everything, and without troubling ourselves to consider 
whether it has been a reasonable one. These Parisians of 
ours, who, in my opinion, are the most agreeable rather than 
the most estimable part of the nation, have, however, always 
been the same. You know that in my hours of idleness I 
have taken up the history of France, and I find them always 
the same at all the different epochs of which I have read : 
adventurous, thoughtless, often ungrateful, never taking any 
trouble themselves, and expecting everything to be done for 
them. I have just finished the history of the League, and 
have made myself ready to argue either for or against " Les 
Etats de Blois," if it is acted this winter. . . . 

Just as I was closing this letter, I received yours, which 
has relieved my anxiety. Cesar de Choiseul has offered to 
convey my little packet, and, as he is in haste, I have only 
time for a few words. I shall not write again until I have 
another letter from you. But if you are to remain at Stras- 
burg, could you not take a trip to Paris ? I say nothing 
about myself, but your presence is needed at the end of the 
year, and especially at the theatre. Maherault is in the 

* " Gulistan ou le Hullah de Samarcande " is an opera, by Etienne and Da- 
layrac. It was brought out at the Opera Comique, on 8 Vendemiaire,year XIV. 
(September 30, 1805). It appears that a Hullah or Hulla is a man who mar- 
ries, for one day only, a divorced wife, in order to enable the first husband, ac- 
cording to Turkish law, to take her back. Another operetta by M. Lecocq' has 
recently been composed on this delicate subject, " La Jolie Persane." 

f Martin, a grandson of the inventor of the Martin blacking, was born in 
1768 and died in 1837. He and Elleviou were celebrated singers at the Opera 
Comique under the Empire. 



CONFIDENCE IN THE TROOPS. 113 

greatest difficulties about the rent and the retiring pensions ; 
moreover, his authority is set at naught, and nothing goes 
well. 



LYIII. 

TO M. DE KEMUSAT, AT STEASBTTEG. 

Paris, 15 Vendemiaire, Year XIV. 
{October 7, 1805.) 

. , . The confidence which you tell me is felt in the 
troops is quite shared here, even by the people who gener- 
ally share in nothing, and who, as you know, exist in Paris 
in large numbers. Whatever private opinions people may 
have, no one doubts of victory, and this widespread feeling 
is surely the most flattering and the truest homage that can 
be paid to our soldiers and their leader. I can understand 
your admiration, and your thoughts at the sight of those fine 
troops marching at once to glory and to death. For my own 
part, if, like you, I beheld armies ready to meet in the field, 
my first thought would be for the poor mothers and wives, 
who will have to pay for all this glory with their tears, and 
who must undoubtedly shed as many over victory as over de- 
feat. I see clearly that I should never make a good ruler, for 
feeling is too much mingled with all I think and do, and with 
these fine sentiments, I should let my country be invaded and 
my states disturbed. 

You say you are dull at Strasburg ? You would be the 
same in Paris ; for it is horribly dull just now, and so empty 
of news and full of ill-nature, that to live without too much 
vexation and quarreling, one must do as I do — confine one's 
self to a very narrow circle, and shut one's door on all the 
idlers of this great city, who imagine they are increasing 
their own importance when they are spreading bad news. 
We are told here that the Empress is likely to return to us, 
and perhaps, unless better advised, she would do well to 



114 LETTERS OF MADAME DE R^MUSAT. 

spend tlie winter here, and revive in some degree much that 
is languishing by reason of the war. I will write to her, 
since you tell me to do so. The truth is, that I did not write 
for fear of being tiresome ; I am so completely ignorant of 
anything that could amuse her. It is your duty, gentlemen, 
to enliven and entertain her. ISTotwithstanding your mod- 
esty, you are quite sufficiently agreeable to amuse her if you 
like, and I should be much inclined to scold you for your 
shyness, only that while avowing it you use so many kind 
and loving words, that I must tell you they all went straight 
to my heart, and are graven there ; and that your devoted 
affection, of which I am constantly receiving the most touch- 
ing proofs, will always be the true happiness of my life. 



LIX. 

TO M. DE EEMUSAT, AT STEASBURG. 

Paris, 18 Vendemiaire, Year XIV. 
{October 10, 1805.) 

. . . Man cTier aini, how dull and unoccupied we are in 
this horrid Paris of ours ! Pray tell M. de Talleyrand that 
it is really pitiable. There is not even the least bit of gossip ! 
In fact, our dullness e(]^uals our wisdom. I don't quite know 
which is the cause and which the effect, but I do know I am 
horribly dull. The emptiness of this great city is really re- 
markable ; the theatres do not draw, and I scarcely ever go 
to them, except, however, to the Bouffons, who are improv- 
ing every day and drawing large audiences. I heard Fer- 
tendis * there last Monday for the first time. She has be- 
come popular ; her voice, although rather thick, is effective, 
and she sings with expression. She pronounces Italian so 

* Mme. Fertendis was an Italian contralto who came out in Paris in " La 
Capriciosa pentita." She was the wife of an excellent musician, well known as 
a performer on the English horn, which was at that time a new instrument. 



PRINCESS LOUIS. 115 

well as to make even recitatives delightful. She looks well 
on the stage, and is greatly applauded. Barilli also is much 
liked. They acted together in an opera called "La Melo- 
manie." It is pretty and well put on the stage ; everybody 
enjoyed it ; I am going to hear it again this evening. I hear 
it is impossible to persuade the two prime donne that they 
would do well to act together, as each declines to play any 
but the principal parts. Your authority seems to be needed 
in this matter. 

Halma continues to be quite satisfied with your son ; and 
tells me that he has plenty of ability, but is rather lazy. I 
am contending with this fault, and I make him work with 
more steadiness. Tell him to be more industrious. In other 
respects he is most amiable ; his health is excellent ; he is 
even growing fat. His grandmother is untiringly kind to 
him, and teaches him to act proverbs with her, while I con- 
stitute the audience. 



LX. 

TO M. DE EEMUSAT, AT STKASBTJEG. 

Paris, SO Vendemiaire, Year XIV. 
{October 12, 1S05.) 

... I HAVE seen Princess Louis, who is quite well, and 
her children also. She is dreadfully tired of receiving two 
hundred persons every Monday, but the company do not sus- 
pect it; her manners are so gracious and pleasing. You 
must teU this to the Empress, when speaking of me, as you 
do sometimes. I am really afraid of writing to her ; I feel 
so cross and stupid. You only, mon am% can put up with 
my verbiage, and notwithstanding your indulgence and nat- 
ural interest in my letters, I fear that sometimes you must 
find in them a wearisome iteration. How can I help it? I 
have a liberty that I do not want, and each succeeding day 



116 LETTERS OF MADAME DE REMUS AT. 

brings me the same occupations and the same thoughts, at 
the same hours. I read a great deal. I am now in the mid- 
dle of the " Essai sur les Moeurs," which I like in spite of all 
my prejudices. I intend, now that I have so much leisure, 
to go through the whole of Yoltaire, so as to know, once for 
all, what to think about him, and although I have no inclina- 
tion to let myself be fascinated, yet I begin to find, in spite of 
myself, that he is more often in the right than I could wish. 



LXI. 

TO M. DE EEMU8AT, AT STRASBHRG. 

Paris, 22 Vendemiaire, Year XIV. 
{October U, 1805.) 

Mon ami., what delightful news ! * and how we all thank 
you for writing to us at once ! I received your letter last 
night at eleven o'clock. In another minute I was off. I 
reach Alix's house, I read it to her, she bursts into tears, I 
weep also, and all the pain of absence is forgotten. The 
booming of cannon proclaimed the good news to Paris this 
morning ; it has produced a great effect. Strangers interro- 
gate and congratulate each other in the streets ; in short, as 
I have written to the Empress, for once the Parisians are 
Frenchmen. I have written twenty notes already this morn- 
ing, and received visits of congratulation. Prince Louis sent 
for Alix in order to tell her how well pleased the Emperor is 
with her husband, and both the Prince and Princess treated 
her with the greatest kindness. This was all the more con- 
soling to my poor sister, as she has had no news of her hus- 
band for a long time past. She fears that both his letters 
and hers miscarry, and asks you to forward the one I inclose, 
if you meet with a good opportunity. But what a splendid 

* Either the battle of Wertingen, gained on 17 Vendemiaire, or Marshal 
Ney's defeat of the Archduke Ferdinand on the 16th. 



WAITING FOB NEWS. 117 

victory ! Plow proud one feels at being French ! I could 
not sleep for joy. Perhaps you know of other victories by 
this time, and while we are rejoicing over this first one, you 
have already forgotten it in a second. May Heaven still 
protect our brave army and its glorious leader ! We wanted 
a victory here, for our wretched Parisians were beginning to 
grumble. The solitude of Paris, the state of torpor in which 
all business is plunged, and the scarcity of money that is still 
prevailing, gave fine opportunities of fault-finding to the ill- 
natured, while our foolish idlers believed everything that 
they were told. I was wondering to myself this morning 
why there is so little national spirit in the nation and yet 
such unity of action and of feeling in the army. It seems 
to me that it must be a sentiment of honor that makes the 
difference, and that honor takes the place of public spirit 
among individuals who in ordinary times are too happy, too 
rich, or too careless to interest themselves in anything out- 
side their own particular horizon. 



LXII. 

TO M. DE EEMUSAT, AT STEASBIJEa. 

Paris, ^4 Vendemiaire, Tear XIV. 
( October 16, 1805.) 

We are waiting impatiently for news. Our triumphant 
beginning will, no doubt, be succeeded by still more brilliant 
victories, and I rely upon you to inform me of them so soon 
as you know of them yourself. But, amid all tliis, what is 
happening to you ? M. de Chabrol, whom I met yesterday 
at the Archchancellor's, told me that, at the time he left 
Strasburg, several of the Chamberlains were preparing to 
follow the Emperor. Were you one of them ? If you are 
likely to be at a still greater distance, remember that you 
must warn me in time, on account of my letters, and in order 



118 LETTERS OF MADAME DE REMUSAT. 

that I may send you what you require'; your coat, for in- 
stance, if it does not come before you leave Strasburg. I 
know not whether to wish for or to dread your further jour- 
ney. There is something agreeable to me in the knowledge 
that you are still in France, but I tremble at the thought of 
those gloomy German forests, and almost regret that you did 
not accompany the Emperor on his journey. 

All these feelings make life melancholy and the days 
long and dreary. The coming winter seems shrouded in a 
somber veil when I reflect that it must be passed far away 
from you, and the thought brings tears to my eyes. The 
newspapers announce that the Empress will spend the winter 
at Strasburg. Do you think that is her intention? The 
general opinion here seems to be that she ought to come 
back to Paris, where her presence is really required. Every- 
thing seems dead ; there is no trade, and discontent prevails 
everywhere ; people shut themselves up in their homes ; 
there is no expenditure, no luxury, and every house has be- 
come, like mine, a sort of castle in which the owners live in 
solitude. To complete the picture, the weather is frightful, 
with such incessant rain we might easily believe ourselves to 
be in the month of December. The theatres, with the ex- 
ception of the minor ones, are absolutely deserted. Your 
poor Comedie exhaust themselves in vain; they play to 
empty houses. I went yesterday to the " Festin de Pierre," 
admirably acted by Dugazon and Fleury ; there were not 
fifty persons in the pit. Fleury asked for an interview with 
me, and I have appointed to-morrow. In those letters of 
mine that went astray, I asked you for an answer for Mile. 
Cbntat. 

Mamma is continually begging me to tell you that she 
never thinks of you now ; and I, mon ami^ I do nothing else 
at every instant of the day, and each day I love you more. 
.What happiness if I could tell you so with my own lips ! 



TEE GOMEDIE ONCE MORE. 119 

LXIII. 

TO M. DE KEMUSAT, AT STEASBUKG. 

Wednesday, 2^ Vendemiaire, Year XIV. 
{October 16, 1805.) 

I^ow that I have attended to all your commissions and 
that I have leisure to write, and have besides the certainty 
that my letter will reach you, I must speak to you about 
your actors of the Comedie Frangaise, whom you are forget- 
ting, but to whom you might write as you are so far away. 
I suspect that Maherault does not tell you of all the existing 
anarchy, because his ill health has greatly weakened him, I 
saw Fleury this morning. He has a petition, of which I 
will speak presently, to present to you. "We had a long con- 
versation. He much deplores the present condition of the 
theatre, which he tells me is one of complete disorder. 
Everybody is master, and no rules are observed. The actors 
are all away in the country ; consequently the doubles have 
to act, and the receipts are nil. Mile. Raucourt has not 
acted once ; while Mile. Fleury* insists on always acting, and 
people will not pay to see her. On Monday they played 
" Tanerede " for the first time since the debut of our new 
actresses. They hoped to draw a good house. But Mile. 
Fleury, despite her age and appearance, took the part of 
Amenaide. Her very name scared people away, and not a 
single person went except myself. She looked so old, so 
ugly, and acted so badly, that I laughed heartily. Fleury 
says that now, at the close of the year, there are several 
actors who should be compelled to take their retiring pen- 
sion, and thus clear the way for others. He says that Mile. 
Fleury is one of these ; that she is worn out, and embarrasses 

* Mile. Fleury was not in any way related to Fleury. She was married to 
M. Cheffontaine. She had made her first appearance on the stage in 1*791 ; she 
retired in 1807, and died in 1818. She was considered clever. Monvel re- 
ceived his retiring pension shortly after. He died at the age of sixty-seven, in 
1812. 



120 LETTERS OF MADAME DE REMUSAT. 

him in liis distribution of parts, and tliat it would be very 
kind of you to get rid of lier, also of Monvel and some 
others. Could you not write — not to Maherault, who would 
not show your letter — but to the committee, and say that 
you are dissatisfied, and that, as your projected reforms in 
the management of the Comedie are stopped by your ab- 
sence, you expect that at least the actors will be more than 
ever zealous ; that those who show themselves most deserv- 
ing will be rewarded, and that every personal interest ought 
to yield before the necessity of attracting the public by well- 
acted plays ? These are only suggestions, but it should be a 
forcible letter. If you prefer, you might address it to Fleu- 
ry, and I would undertake te have it conveyed to him. I 
am the more vexed that you did not put an end to Mahe- 
rault's affair before you left Paris. Could you not write 
what you shrink from saying to him ? I think you would 
be very well satisfied with Campenon, and that, besides, he 
would be anxious to make a good beginning and do his best 
for the theatre, which is not likely to flourish this winter. I 
have dwelt too long, perhaps, on this subject. But I am an- 
noyed by the sharp comments that are made everywhere, and 
even in the newspapers, about the mismanagement of the 
theatre. 

To return to Fleury. He is in great need of help ; you 
had promised to make up for the leave that he missed tak- 
ing, and that he will be obliged to claim if you can grant 
him no money. His son* has come back badly wounded 
from the war, and he says that now, for the first time, he 
finds himself in urgent need. Pray do not overlook this re- 
quest. I am much interested in him, and so is Alix, as you 

know. 

Thursday Morning, 25th. 

The cannon proclaim a fresh victory, of which the 
" Moniteur " gives us the particulars. This time it is Mar- 

* Fleury's son called himself B6nard, his father's real name. He was a 
sailor, and became an admiral. 



REBELLION IN THE 0P£RA. 121 

slial N^ey, and I see that that poor fellow Lacuee * has been 
killed. I am very sorry, and sorry also for a poor mother 
who is here, and who begs you for pity's sake to find out, if 
possible, the fate of her son. I speak of Mme. Fezensac.f 
M. de Nansouty took an interest in the young man, so he 
may perhaps know if anything has happened to him, and by 
writing to him at once, you might obtain an answer so as to 
give us news of both, Alix has not heard from her hus- 
band, and is in a most pitiable state. Write to my brother- 
in-law, cher ami, and tell him to address his letters to you ; 
be our refuge, in fact, and watch over us, for we are troubled 
and anxious. Keep us informed of everything, for all your 
news will be precious. 

Before closing my parcel, I must return to the subject of 
theatres, and tell you that the Minister of Police has decreed 
that no theatre becoming bankrupt shall open again, nor 
shall any new ones be licensed. The Opera company is in 
open rebellion against M. de Lugay. Rolland, N^ourrit, and 
Mme. Branchu X have sent in their resignation, and his au- 
thority is openly defied by the rest. Pay some attention, I 
beg of you, to your own theatre ; now is the time, it seems 
to me, that it should show better management than the 
others. 

* Colonel Lacuee, aide-de-camp to the Emperor, was killed at the battle of 
Elchingen on 22 Vendemiaire, 

f Mme. de Montesquiou-Fezensac was Mme. de Vintimille's sister. Her son 
Aimery was that Duke of Fezensac who wrote his Memoirs and died in 1860. 

\ Rolland the actor was Rolland de Courbonne, who died at a very advanced 
age, and whose wife held a brilliant salon in Paris, at Rue d'Anjou. Nourrit 
was the father of Adolphe Nourrit, who was so celebrated a singer at the Opera, 
and who committed suicide at Naples in 1837. Mme. Branchu (Mile. Maillard) 
had made her first appearance at the Opera in 1782. She was more admired 
for dramatic expression than for her voice. 



122 LETTERS OF MADAME DE E^IMUSAT. 



LXIY. 

TO M. DE KEMUSAT, AT STBASBURG. 

Paris, 25 Vendemiaire^ Year XIV. 
{October 17, 1805.) 

. . . We are passing our time here, thanks to our brill- 
iant military triumphs, in paying visits of congratulation to 
the princes and princesses. I am going this evening to 
Mme. Louis's, and to-morrow to Prince Joseph's, and I shall 
most wilhngly offer them the homage which I think they 
must enjoy. Who, in truth, could sufficiently admire the 
genius displayed in this wonderful campaign, if the Emperor 
had not accustomed us, long since, never to be astonished at 
his exploits ? The popular delight is general ; malevolence no 
longer dares to manifest itself, and I must own I take a cer- 
tain pleasure in watching the embarrassment of those persons 
who are foolish enough not to rejoice at our national glory. 
We congratulate one another on our victories, though in 
point of fact we never doubted them. May they hasten the 
return of the Emperor ! With our friend, Mme. de Sevigne, 
I say from the bottom of my heart, " May God spare him 
to us ! " 

I have just seen Corvisart, who watches over my health 
with assiduity for which I am grateful. He begs me to 
thank you from him, for your kind reception of the surgeons 
he dispatched to his Majesty, and says you will like the phy- 
sician who accompanied them, if he has remained at Stras- 
burg, because he is a man of real ability. Corvisart was 
present two days ago at an operation for cataract, performed 
on your friend Portalis ; it was successfully accomplished on 
both eyes, and there is every reason to hope that he will 
recover his sight. Your son asks me to tell you that he is 
expecting your letter. He is preparing a translation, by way 
of answer, with which I think you will be pleased. He is 
improving, and no longer dislikes his Latin lessons so much 



GODWIN'S NOVEL. 123 

as formerly ; he learns a good deal of Latin by heart, which 
gives both him and me some trouble, for he repeats his les- 
sons to me. I am glad of the occupation ; it occupies both 
my head and my heart, and, when I see him so gay and happy, 
I arrive at feeling more at ease myself. 

The Empress asked me to send her Godwin's novel,* and 
Deschamps should have received it by this time. I do not 
think she will like it, for, though very clever, it is full of ill- 
nature, quite opposed to the disposition of our good patroness. 
The author sees and paints the worst side of mankind ; but, 
for my own part, and even at the risk of being deceived, I 
will not fling away that gilded veil through which the Em- 
peror says we look at human nature in our youth. However, 
there is talent in the book, and it may amuse your leisure. 



LXY. 

TO M. DE KEMUSAT, AT STKASBTJBG. 

Paris, 26 Vendemiaire, Year XIV. 
(October 18, 1805.) 

So you have taken it into your head to scold me, though I 
am always writing to you — five letters, for instance, in the last 
three days, and if they get lost it is no fault of mine ! You 
are in the wrong, mmi ami, and you write just like a lazy man, 
quite proud of his own punctuality. Since you choose to be 
angry, I will be the same, and will make out a little list of all 
my grievances, which are better founded than yours. Mon 
aTThi, you write me very charming. letters; you write them 
often, and they form the happiness of my life ; all this is as 
it should be. But in none of your letters do you answer the 
questions I am continually putting to you. I know no par- 
ticulars of the Emperor's stay at Strasburg; I am in igno- 
rance whether you have received the parcel from Desfauche- 

* This must be " Caleb Williams," Godwin's most celebrated work. 



124 LETTERS OF MADAME DE REMUSAT. 

rets, and therefore I can not give him any message of thanks 
from you ; you say nothing about M. de Caulaincourt, though 
I am continually inquiring for him ; you do not write to my 
mother, who consequently is not pleased. What else ? . . . 
But I have said enough for once ; defend yourself if you 
can, and to appease me, try to give us frequent news of M. 
de ISTansouty, for his wife receives no letters. 

I went yesterday evening to Princess Louis's ; she was 
glad of our victories, but sorrowful on account of the indi- 
vidual misfortunes which even the most splendid triumphs 
entail. She is grieved by Lacuee's death, and said patheti- 
cally, "When I read the accounts, I am surprised to lind 
that my tears begin to flow, although I am so glad of all our 
success." Prince Louis frets over his ill health, which com- 
pels him to remain here ; he spoke with me for a long time 
about M. de Nansouty, and was really kind, on this occasion, 
to the whole family. The quiet little evenings we spend 
with the dear Princess are very pleasant. She goes out very 
little, and just receives a few intimate friends ; we all chat 
quietly together, and yesterday M. de Lavalette, whom I like 
much, as you know, was there. To-night I am going to 
Prince Joseph's — he has a reception — and to-morrow prob- 
ably to Pi'incess Borghese's. You see I am doing my duty 
to the whole family. I have also waited on Princess Caro- 
line ; * but, if victories continue to succeed each other at this 
rate, we shall be always running about. How I should like 
to be again going to and from the Tuileries with you, and 
how relieved both heart and head Avould feel if I knew the 
Emperor were resting quietly in his palace, and you in our 
pretty home ! . . . 

* Princess Murat. 



VOLTAIRE. 125 



LXYI. 



TO M. DE KEMUSAT, AT STEASBTJRG. 

Paris, 27 Vendemiaire, Year XIV. 
{October 19, 1805.) 

. . . Theke is nothing in the "Moniteur" to-daj, but we 
are told to expect the news of some great battle this even- 
ing ; I am looking for letters from you, and my heart will 
beat when I receive them. What excitement ! what a life ! 
Poor creatures that we are, how we struggle on our sand-hill, 
and, too often, hasten the moment when all will be over ! 
The glory with which we clothe our ardor for mutual destruc- 
tion is a fine subject for philosophizing, and, if anything 
remained to be said concerning it, I would not spare you, 
because just now I am deep in philosophy, and, moreover, 
having plenty of leisure for reading, I have taken up Yol- 
taire, whom I am studying with a delight for which I am in- 
clined to reproach myself. That extraordinary man is too 
often in the right, and he has so frequently divined things, 
that I think he must sometimes have alarmed the very being 
who created him. For my own part, I remain on my guard 
as much as possible while reading his works, but, between our- 
selves, in spite of my good intentions and my previous preju- 
dices, I should scarcely resist him, if my heart could find a 
substitute for that of which he seeks to deprive it. The dry 
and barren tenets of philosophy must always fail in this, that 
they only please the intellect, and sometimes perhaps stagger 
our reason, but they can never lessen the bitterness of a single 
tear — and who is there who is not called upon to shed many 
in this sorrowful world ? 

Mon ami, if you have any leisure time you really should 
spend Wednesday evenings with us. Wednesday is our " at 
home" day; my mother and I decided on it, so that people 
might be sure of finding us one evening in the week. How 
I should like to see you walk in ! Be assured, monsieur, I 



126 LETTERS OF MADAME BE REMUS AT 

would omit nothing to make you welcome, and tliat I would 
willingly push the duties of hospitality as far as they could 
possibly go. 

I suffer in silence from our separation, for I dare not 
speak of my own troubles in the midst of sorrowful widows 
and mothers. But, if it is heart-rending to tremble for the life 
of those we love, it is very painful also to be so often and so 
long separated from them. 

General Cesar Berthier * told me that if you would write 
to General Matthieu Dumas, who is with his brother, you 
would soon know if anything had happened to Aimery de 
Montesquiou, because it is he who makes out the list of the 
dead. 



LXYII. 

TO M. DE EEMUSAT, AT STEASBUEG. 

Paris, Monday, 29 Vendemiaire, Year XIV. 
{October 21, 1805.) 

We are in a state of the greatest anxiety ; no news since 
the 20th ! We learn by telegraph every day that you are 
equally ignorant at Strasburg. What can this silence mean ? 
How alarmino- it is ! Another eno-aojement to follow the 
first two had been so decisively announced, that we expected 
it to take place immediately. But now, all is silence ; you, 
even, do not write, and my heart misgives me.f We go 

* General Cesar Berthier, the brother of the Prince de Wagram, and very 
much younger than he, distinguished himself in the army. He died at Grosbois 
in 1819. 

f The general longing for news, and for an escape from the tragic situation 
in which the Emperor was always placing France, made his own admirers even 
somewhat unjust, for few campaigns can be compared with this one. The Em- 
peror, who had quitted St. Cloud on 2 Vendemiaire, crossed the Danube at 
Xordlingen on the 14th, seized the bridge over the Lech on the 15th, and fought 
on the 16th at Werlingen and Aichach. Marshal Soult had entered Augsburg 
on the 17th; the engagements at Landsberg and Albeek had taken place on the 



TALMA. 127 

every evening to the Princess Louis's to wait for news with 
her. The courier arrives at eleven o'clock without bringing 
any; we exchange sorrowful glances, and take our leave 
without trusting ourselves to. speak. I was at Xeuilly this 
morning, where I found Princess Caroline alone and thought- 
ful. Notwithstanding her efforts to appear unconcerned, she 
seemed very anxious, and, fixing her eyes upon a map, she 
was unable to see aught but the dangers of the splendid posi- 
tion we were admiring a few days ago. How great is the 
power of the imagination ! how quickly it seizes upon us ! 
how it disturbs our whole machinery ! When this letter 
reaches you, cher ami., you will perhajDS have received bulle- 
tins, and we perhaps shall be more at ease. Meanwhile, 
what hours, what days do we not pass through ! Can we call 
this living? My poor sister is in a dej)lorable condition; 
she weeps continually, and for the last tvv'o days believes all 
that she fears. 

2fon mni, I have been obliged to lay aside my pen, and 
I now take it up again to tell you what interrupted me. It 
was that poor fellow Talma who came to see me, and whose 
state is such that I was even moved to tears. Por some days 
past, his nervous attacks had returned, and with such vio- 
lence that he had to give up the idea of acting for a consid- 
erable period, for fear of some serious accident. In fact, the 
cast of the " Templiers " had to be changed, and the play 
itself injured, in my opinion, by giving Lafond's part to 
Baptiste, and Talma's to Lafond. I should have preferred 
the play being withdrawn for the winter, but they would not 
agree to this. An hour or so ago, Mme. Talma arrived, all 
in tears. She made an appeal to me, and told me that she 
will lose her husband ; that he is becoming insane ; that mis- 
fortune has driven him out of his senses ; that all their fumi- 

18th and 20th, and the French had entered Munich. On the 21st the Emperor 
was on the road to Ulm, and on the 22d Marshal Ney fought the battle of 
Elchingen. Ulm surrendered on the 25th, and Austerlitz was won a month 
afterward. 



128 LETTERS OF MADAME DE R^MUSAT. 

ture has been seized, and that thej are without a sou. I 
consoled her to the best of my ability, and asked where was 
her husband. She replied that he was in a hackney coach 
outside, not having the coura-ge to present himself. I sent 
for him, as you may imagine, and he came in, looking a real 
ghost of tragedy, pale and thin. The first thing he did was 
to faint ; then he wept, cried out, and really frightened me. 
He showed me a letter he has written to you ; you will see 
the state he is in, and what you can do for him. Meanwhile, 
I spoke kindly to him, and when he began to come to him- 
self, I advised him to struggle against these seizures, lest he 
might altogether sink under them. I promised I would ask 
for a grant from the Minister of Police, if such a thing were 
possible ; I said I would forward his letter to you, and as he 
told me that he had been obliged to engage to pay away all 
his future earnings, I asked him to give me an exact and 
sincere account of his debts, with the names of his creditors 
and the engagements he had entered into with them, and 
that I would send it to you. " My husband," I said, " who 
is now at a distance from the Emperor, will probably find 
himself unable to give you the considerable sum of money 
that you require, but if the state of your affairs is explained 
to him, he may, by making certain promises to your credi- 
tors, stop their proceedings against you, and prevent you 
from entering on any ruinous course of action." I wish you 
could have seen the poor fellow's looks as he listened to me ! 
It seemed, in truth, as if I were restoring him to life ; he 
wept, and called us both his guardian angels. He is ex- 
tremely weak, and I fear for his reason if he is not be- 
friended. See what you can do on his behalf, and write 
either to him or to me on the subject. Be assured that there 
is no exaggeration in what I have told you, for, in truth, I 
was not able to restrain my tears. I sent for a score of 
bottles of Bordeaux, and had them conveyed to his house. 



GOOD NEWS. 129 



LXVIII. 

TO M. DE KEMUSAT, AT STKASBUEG. 

Paris, Thursday, 2 Brumaire, Year XIV. 
{October 24, 1805.) 

Mon ami, you must be satisfied witli only a few words 
from me this morning. I am so agitated and so delighted ! * 
I had been for ten days in such anxiety that I can still 
scarcely command myself. However, I have written to the 
Empress, but I think my letter must have shown signs of 
the state into which the good news has thrown me. If you 
knew what evil reports were bruited abroad, and what I suf- 
fered from your silence ! But let us say no more of this. 
Your dear letter has made me forget it all. Only I am 
trembling so much that I can scarcely hold my pen, and I 
spent all my little strength in writing, as well as I could, to 
our beloved and happy Empress. Tell her of my heartfelt 
sympathy with her joy, and that, in very truth, she has never 
ceased to be present in my thoughts since that week in which 
we knew of her anxieties. I shared in yours also. ... 



LXIX. 

TO M. DE KEMUSAT, AT STEASBURG. 

Paris, S Brumaire, Year XIV. 
{October 25, 1805.) 

I WAS SO overcome and so agitated yesterday, with the 
great news, that I could only write you a word or two. I 
am just as happy to-day, but more tranquil, and I take up 
my pen to tell you of everything that had preceded our great 
joy. For ten days we had been without couriers, and for six 

* Evidently the capitulation of Ulm, which took place on 28 Vendemiaire 
(October 20, 1805). 



130 LETTERS OF MADAME DE REMUSAT. 

jou had not written, and secret misgivings, that I dared not 
put into words, were mingled with the great anxiety that I 
shared with every one else. I said to myself, " If my hus- 
band knows nothing of the movements of the army, and 
therefore can tell me nothing, at least he could write about 
his own health and the affection that makes me so happy." 
I understand now that you were anxious like ourselves, and 
would not tell me so. As usual, all sorts of evil rumors 
were circulated here. There had been a most sanguinary 
engagement ; Prince Murat had been wounded, and several 
generals killed ! My poor sister wept and knew not what 
to believe ; added to this, every day I saw poor unhappy 
Mme. de Eezensac, who was in a most pitiable state. Thus, 
occupying myself in consoling these two poor ladies, without 
much hope myself, and secretly fretting about you and our 
future prospects, I spent melancholy days and wretched 
nights. 

Yesterday was a grand day ! At six in the morning I 
ring my bell. I hear that Charles, who had been indisposed 
the previous day, has had an excellent night and is in good 
spirits. At seven your letter arrives, and shortly afterward 
I receive a note, telling me that Philippe de Segur has writ- 
ten word that Aimery is in good health. I went to congrat- 
ulate his grandmother and sisters ; * all the family begged 
me to thank you for your kindness, for which they are most 
grateful. All this good news arriving at . once, moved me 
very deeply, and your poor wife, as you may imagine, was 
rather knocked up ; but I slept well last night, and am calm 
this morning. I am dining to-day with Princess Borghese, 
and am going afterward to the " Mariage de Figaro ; " for 
we may as well amuse ourselves a little now that our minds 
are relieved. The Frangais has put this play very carefully 
on the stage. The first performance drew a large house. 
They hope to make something by it, for this month the re- 

* Mme. de la Live was his grandmother," and Mmes.de Vintimille and de Fc- 
zensac his sisters. 



POPULAR ENTHUSIASM. 131 

ceipts have been next to nothing. I am astonished that 
Maherault has not written to you, or rather I perceive that 
he has deceived me, for every time that he came here com- 
plaining I used to advise him to tell you, and he invariably 
said he had done so. I am convinced that a letter from you 
will be of use, but do not address it to the Commissioner, for 
his influence is worn out. Talma brought me yesterday a 
list of his debts ; they seem terribly heavy. He told me he 
had omitted nothing, having entire confidence in you. His 
current expenses do not distress him ; he thinks he will be 
able to defray them ; but the amount he owes for rent, and 
the interest he must pay on his debts, reduce him to a pitia- 
ble condition. He met Corvisart here, who encouraged him 
to bear up against his nervousness in order to overcome it, 
and who tranquilized him by speaking hopefully of his 
health. 

I wrote a letter to the Empress yesterday ; it was, per- 
haps, rather incoherent, for my head was aching badly and 
my hand trembling. Tell her that all of us here were shar- 
ers in her anxiety, and afterward in her joy, and that I 
could see by the interest she created how much she is 
beloved. There is great excitement prevailing, moreover. 
The Emperor's victories have roused every one's enthusi- 
asm ; he is called the greatest man that has ever existed, and 
the campaign the most stupendous. Grandmaison * said, 
rather happily, the day before yesterday, that it was the Em- 
peror's habit to improvise his triumphs. 

When the great news was announced at the theatres, they 
rang with applause and shouts. Mon ami, what a splendid 
sight his Majesty's entry into Paris will be ! But when is 
he coming, and when shall I see you ? What mingled feel- 
ings will be mine on that happy day ! As wife, friend, and 
Frenchwoman, all my desires will be accomplished. 

* Parseval-Grandmaison, a member of the French Academy. He died in 
1834. 



132 LETTERS OF MADAME BE RtMUSAT. 

LXX. 

TO M. DE KEMUSAT, AT STKASBUKG. 

Paris, 5 Brumaire, Year XIV. 
{October 27, 1805.) 

I SAW, yesterday, a note from M. de Talleyrand to Mme. 
Devaines, in which he says the Empress had been greatly 
agitated, and afterward extremely happy. We shared here 
in all her emotions, and, in truth, such agitation is wearing. 
You must have had an anxious time, and my mother and I 
often thought of your melancholy expression and pale coun- 
tenance. How distressing, my dearest, not to be together on 
such occasions ! There is something pleasing m grieving to- 
gether, and in the mutual expression of anxiety ending by 
the sad but tender assurance of an affection which softens 
every misfortune. 

If you care for a piece of news, let me inform you that 
Mme. Lavoisier exists no longer. The Countess Rumford 
has taken her place. !No one knows when this great feat 
was accomplished, but it seems that nothing is wanting, ex- 
cept, as my mother says, the Stove. Count Rumford went 
yesterday morning to bear the news to Bertrand, Gallois, 
etc. These gentlemen paid their visit the same evening, in- 
tending to offer their congratulations ; but the lady of the 
house cut them short, saying it was an old affair, and chang- 
ing the subject, the conversation turned on ordinary topics. 
The only difference was calling them Cointe, Gomtesse. 

I have heard from our friends, the Cherons; they are 
beginning to get accustomed to their new life. The hus- 
band seems happy, and the wife less melancholy, although 
she has been obliged to send her son away to school. She 
asks me to remember her to you, and is, like ourselves, full 
of expectation and delight, We are expecting to hear next 
of a victory over the Russians. Mme. de Yannoise shud- 
ders at the idea, because her son is in Bernadotte's division. 



MADAME DE VANNOISE. 133 

M. Dumas * promised my cousin he would make inquiries 
about her son, and if you would speak with him on the sub- 
ject, you would be doing a kindness to this poor mother. 
As she is dining here, she will give me her son's address. 
Here it is : " Alexander de Yannoise, f Corporal in the 
Ninety-fifth Regiment, in Bernadotte's army." She is very 
unhappy this year ; her affairs are in a worse state than ever, 
and anxiety for her children is killing her. She comes here 
nearly every day for society and consolation. Mamma made 
her a little present of firewood, which she accepted so grate- 
fully that it brought tears to my eyes. Meanwhile, her 
daughter grows lovelier every day. When I take her to 
the theatre she makes quite a sensation. She is tall, very 
plump, and, in my opinion, beats all the beauties of the 
day. Norvins is half inclined to be in love with her, but 
feels that he is not rich enough, and she thinks him very 
ugly. By the way, he has quite taken possession here ; he 
comes morning and evening, he entertains mamma and plays 
with Charles, he does commissions for me, he weeps, or, at 
least, feels anxious with Alix, and, in fact, makes love to 
the whole family. He is rather amusing, though not very • 
good style, but, having nothing better, we like him very 
well. This disgusts Abbe Morellet, whom he worries with 
bad jokes, and who sighs wearily when he finds him estab- 
lished at our fireside. But it can not be helped. Paris is 
so empty now, we must put up with what we can get. 

* General Matthieu Dumas, who died in 1837. 

f Mme. de Vannoise had two sons : Hippolyte, an officer in the artillery, 
who died in Russia in 1812, and Alexander, at that time a soldier, who died 
lonsr afterward. 



134 LETTERS OF MADAME DE REMUS AT. 

LXXI. 

TO M. DE REMUSAT, AT STKA8BUEG. 

Paris, 8 Briimaire, Year XIV. 
{October 30, 1805.) 

Feom what you write to me, I see that, among others, you 
have not received my letter of the 29th, in which I s]3oke of 
Talma's visit to me. I told you that he had come to see me, 
half wild with despair, because his goods had just been seized, 
and that I could only succeed in calming him by promising I 
would forward a letter he had written to you, and an exact 
statement of his debts, as, although I did not think you could 
afford him any pecuniary assistance during the absence of the 
Emperor, you might perhaps use your authority to prevent 
his creditors from taking advantage of his illness, and the 
confusion of his affairs, to impose hard conditions. I have 
since forwarded the statement I allude to, but I do not know 
whether it will reach you. I petitioned the Minister of Police 
also for a little temporary help, which he promised to grant. 
Finally, I comforted poor Talma in some degree. 

From what you say concerning the theatre, I perceive 
that another letter of mine has not reached you, in which I 
mentioned the " Festin de Pierre," which, though admirably 
acted, did not draw. As to the " Mariage de Figaro," it is 
quite true that it draws well, and I enjoyed it much. Do 
send me your letter for the actors, or come yourself and set 
them in order. Your bright idea of asking for leave to 
come and spend three weeks with me makes my heart beat. 
Seriously, apart from affection, which is not counted for 
much in the affairs of this world, your presence here is neces- 
sary. But, when I remember other considerations, I know 
that you ought to join the Emperor if he remains in Ger- 
many, and I say to myself that perhaps your best plan would 
be to write to M. de Caulaincourt and ask leave to join his 
Majesty, after staying in Paris as long as necessary to settle 



THE 0P£:RA in DEBT. 135 

the acconnts of the year that has just closed. This piece of 
advice is the result of an effort that you will appreciate as it 
deserves ; but you must decide as you feel will be best. 

The lines that you send me are very pretty. I fear it is 
now a little late for them ; but I will consult Campenon. 
He is worried also about his theatre, where Elleviou is ter- 
ribly missed. It is better attended than the Frangais, but 
not so well as to make it pay. 

The Opera only is always crowded, and I can not think 
how they can be so much in debt, with such good houses. 



LXXII. 

TO M. DE REMUSAT, AT STRASBUEG. 

Paris, Sahirdaij, 11 Bruniaire, Year XIV. 
{November 2, 1805.) 

I CAN quite well sympathize with your dislike of the 
empty life you are leading at Strasburg, and I understand 
your wish to be at Paris or Munich. If my feelings make 
me wish to have you here, I try, on the other hand, to sup- 
press them, because I am conscious that duty calls you to his 
Majesty's side. Since some civilians are already there, since 
Auguste de Talleyrand is with him, I feel that you ought to 
make every effort to be there too, and I try to accustom my- 
self to the thought that you have already preferred your re- 
quest, and that, valuing the privilege as you do, it will surely 
be granted. Another reason for bearing bravely the sorrow 
that I must feel at your prolonged absence is that I perceive 
that, from different motives, several persons here are sur- 
prised that you are not with the JEmperor. I repeat, then, 
whatever it may cost me, I approve of your zeal, and I con- 
sent to the increased distance between us. Write therefore, 
cher ami, entreat, and obtain this favor; I will submit to 



136 LETTERS OF MADAME DE R^MUSAT. 

everything, and, however painful this further separation, I 
shall have courage for the sacrifice. 

I have changed M. de Tournon's money at considerable 
loss. Mnie. de la Rochefoucauld, who had intended to start 
on Saturday, had kindly taken charge of it. But she is ill, 
and her journey is again delayed ; I fear that you may be 
pressed for it, and I am going to write to M. de Lavalette to 
ask him how to insure your promptly receiving the four 
thousand francs, partly in gold, partly in silver. I was 
obliged to lose thirty-six francs on the notes for a thousand 
francs, and forty-two on the gold. You see we are far from 
being at par. It is thought here that there is a good deal of 
trickery and jobbing on the part of the brokei*s. 

We spent yesterday evening in great state at Prince 
Joseph's. A Te Deum had been sung in the morning, and 
in the evening there was a grand reception at the Luxem- 
bourg. During the concert there were rumors of a fresh 
victory over the Russians, but the news was not ofiicial. We 
are all expectation. The Princess Joseph is pleasant and 
kind in her own house, and makes her guests welcome. I 
am dining to-day at the Archchancellor's, and on Monday at 
Prince Louis's. After that I shall rest a little, for this week 
of visits and full dress has rather tired me. Mme. Devalues 
says that the Emperor's rapid victories set us paying forced 
visits, just like his soldiers' forced marches. 

I give my son a treat on \)Ss>fete next Tuesday. M. Des- 
pres is kind enough to bring a conjuror to amuse him, and to 
write a few verses in his honor."'^ He is wonderfully well ; 
he asked me yesterday to keep '^\%fete on Monday, which is 
really St. Charles's Day, and when I explained that I must 
dine on that day with Prince Louis, " You should write to 
him," said he, "like some one I have read about, that you 
would rather eat a carp with your children than go to dinner 
with the Prince de Conde." 

* M. Despr^s was a writer of vaudevilles. He was at one time Inspector of 
the University. 



AMUSEMENT AND STUDY. 137 

On Sunday and Thursday, to amuse liim, he and I act 
proverbs that we have adapted, or scenes from plays, with 
Constance and my mother. M. Bertrand, Mme. de Yannoise, 
Mme. de Grasse, and Alix form the audience. To-morrow 
we are going to act the two last scenes of the " Depit Amou- 
reux ; " it makes a kind of proverb, " Like master, like man." 
Constance acts Lucile, and I Marinette, while Charles, who 
is the Preville of our company, acts Eraste in the first scene, 
and then, throwing off his overcoat, is transformed into Gros- 
Eene. You would be delighted with his intelligent concep- 
tion of both his parts, and at the rapidity with which he 
changes from the languishing complaints of the master to the 
comic reproaches of the valet. How I long for your pres- 
ence at our theatricals ! We will give you some grand per- 
formances on your return ! 

Do not fancy, however, that we spend all our time in 
amusement. Lessons get on very well, too, and I am pleased 
with the little scholar I am bringing up for you. And I my- 
self do not spend' all my time in trifling, as you shall judge 
on hearing what I have begun to study. I have put history 
aside in favor of Plato. Yes, indeed, mon ami, Plato, that 
you know I have been longing to read ever since I heard the 
Emperor talk so much about him. I have borrowed the book, 
and I am deep in metaphysics ! I do not always understand 
him perfectly, but what I do understand I hke, and these 
dreams of a vivid imagination seem to suit my own. iN^ever- 
theless, if I may venture to say so, your old philosophers are 
somewhat verbose, and occasionally they bring up such a 
multiplicity of arguments that I forget what they want to 
prove. 

It is thus that I spend my time, and my happiest days 
are those on which, free from any invitation, I can occupy 
myself entirely with my home and with everything that 
reminds me of you. Sometimes, in the midst of my book, 
or when with the children, I pause to think gratefully of all 
the happiness I owe you, and of the life that you have ren- 



138 LETTERS OF MADAME DE REMUSAT. 

dered so sweet and so easy ; and I no longer dare to murnmr 
at tlie passing clouds that sometimes darken it, for I have to 
thank Providence for the blessedness of belonging to you. 



LXXIII. 

TO M. DE EEMUSAT, AT STEASBUEG. 

Paris, 13 Brumaire, Year XIV. 
{November 4, 1805.) 

If I wanted to fill my letter with messages for you, I 
could easily do so, for I met a number of persons yesterday at 
Cambaceres's who desired to be remembered to you; among 
others, the host first, then your friend Yiry and M. de Segur. 
The latter is very much occupied with his guard of honor. 
He thinks of nothing but fighting, and is continually press- 
ing to get the law passed that is to organize his corps. He 
says that, if it be delayed much longer, he shall set out and 
join the Emperor, who will not be very angry, he hopes, with 
this impromptu journey. He wears himself out with riding 
on horseback so that he may regain his former strength, and 
has written a clever letter to the Emperor, in which he says 
he is the only Frenchman who finds fault with his Majesty's 
rapidity, because it does not give him time to form his corps. 
He thought you were at Munich, and in his zeal he charged 
me to express his hope that you might soon be there. I wish 
the same, as does every one, if the war lasts ; but, neverthe- 
less, I take the liberty of wishing for something else, which 
would bring the Emperor back to Paris, and suit us all, I 
think. Don't you think so ? 

After the dinner at the Archchancellor's I went to a con- 
cert at the Bouffons, where I heard Mme. Barilli. She has a 
pure and high voice, and a good method, but she is very cold, 
and altogether reminded me of a Mile. Eenaud, whom you 
may perhaps have seen at the old Italian Opera House. She 



FRANQOIS DE NEUFGHATEAJJ. 139 

is rather popular, and would do well, I think, in private con- 
certs. I have already mentioned the Bouffons to you in other 
letters that may have been lost ; they are the' fashion, and 
their theatre is well filled. 

I forward you a letter from Francois de ISTeufchdteau,* 
which accompanied his book. I answered it as well as I 
could in your absence, and my cousins paid him a visit of 
thanks. His history is considered good, though rather flip- 
pant. I was congratulated on it yesterday and complimented 
on my great-uncle. I must read his work, if I can tear my- 
self from my friend Plato, who delights me when I can un- 
derstand him, 

Paris continues to be very dull ; people go into society 
with thoughtful and anxious faces. One thing only is de- 
sired : we hope strongly, yet we fear a little ; we get through 
the time without caring how, and yet that future toward 
which we hasten will certainly not be what we expect. 



LXXIY. 

TO M. DE KISMUSAT, AT STRASBURG. 

Paris, IS Brumaire, Year XIV. 

{November 9, 1S05.) 

At last our correspondence is drawing to a close, and we 
shall be quits for a few lost letters that need not be regretted, 
your anxieties, that grieved me so much, and some few little 
reproofs which, between ourselves, I did not deserve. There 

* rran9ois dc Ncnfchateau, senator, member of the French Academy, cx- 
Minister of the Interior, was born in 1750. He was a poet as well as an historian. 
The work that he was pubUshing in the year in which Mme. dc Remuaat's letter 
was written was entitled, " Histoire de rOccupation de la Bavi^re par Ics Autri- 
chiens en 17*78 et 1779, contenant les Details de la Guerre et des Negociations, 
qui furent tcrminees par ha Paix dc Teschen" (Paris, 1805). He had published 
in the year preceding a " Tableau dcs Vues quo se propose la Politique Anglais 
dans toutes les Parties du Monde " (Paris, 1804). 



140 LETTERS OF MADAME DE EEMUSAT. 

are but two packets that I should like you to have repeived — 
one containing the list of Talma's debts, of which I will send 
you a second edition if you wish, and another with a transla- 
tion by Charles, which would have pleased your fatherly 
feelings. 

Talma came yesterday to show me your letter, lie was 
moved to tears by the " kindness of the reproaches " that he 
said " it contained." He wants to give up his share of the 
receipts, and desires that some one should manage his affairs 
for him. He begs you not to be too angry on the receipt of 
his hud get. The melancholy Maherault pays me a visit now 
and then. He looks nervous and alarmed ; he sighs and 
asks when you are coming back. When he tells me that the 
theatre gets on badly in your absence, I always tell him to 
wTite to you. But to this he never makes any reply. 

What you say of M. de Talleyrand is a relief after the 
rumors we had heard of his illness and death. I can under- 
stand his appreciating you better on seeing more of you. 
There is one side of his character (not the least worthy) 
which should harmonize with yours, and I congratulate you 
on being in his company, because he will do you justice 
when he knows you better. 3Ton ami, you must admit that 
I have good reasons not only for loving you as I do, but also 
for preferring you before every one I know, and on this 
point my feelings are always approved by my reason. We 
were talking to Corvisart of you. "You would be too 
happy," he said to me, " if such a husband as yours were 
never absent from you, and if your son could grow up with- 
out giving any cause for anxiety ! " And he is right. Life 
under such circumstances would be too sweet. How could 
we make up our minds to quit it ! 

I agree with you as to your leaving Strasburg, and I 
admit that you are in the right ; in fact, you frequently are, 
and the older I get the more I perceive that. Do not, how- 
ever, take advantage of my admission, for you know that 
with us Tvomen reason herself is not always in the right. 



TRAFALGAR. 141 

It is quite true that monetary affairs are very uneasy here ; 
and if this lasts it will become a serious matter. Kotes for a 
tliousand francs are at ninety francs, and there are even some 
shopkeepers wlio will not take them at all. One of them 
told me that before she received her goods she was obliged 
to specify whether she would pay in cash or in notes. There 
is some grumbling, for nobody buys and nobody pays. There 
are large crowds at the entrance to the Bank, and pickpockets 
cause constant confusion. It is said that the bankers have 
met together for the purpose of taking some decision ; that 
they have written to the provincial towns, Lyons among 
others, which have declined to help them ; and that the 
quantity of money required for the army, and the stock job- 
bing besides, are the two causes of the scarcity. The fact is 
that the inconvenience is great, and there is not enough pub- 
lic spirit among the bankers to induce them to sacrifice their 
private interests to those of the Bank. They have written to 
the Emperor, but how is it possible to explain everything at 
such a distance? and what an annoyance for him, in the midst 
of his great affairs, to have to attend to details of this kind ! 
In truth, we do not help him much, and we put on him the 
whole burden of our well-being. 

We have bad news from the Cadiz fleet. The details, 
which as yet are not given officially, are daily exaggerated ; 
but, after making due allowance, there would seem to have 
been great rashness on the part of Yilleneuve, who insisted 
on leaving the harbor before the arrival of his successor, and 
who has managed his dangerous venture very badly. A 
frightful tempest was raging, and both sides fought with 
the utmost fury. The admiral was taken prisoner, Nelson 
killed, they say, and Magon also. There is no doubt about 
the last. Only twelve of our vessels returned to port, and 
the Bucentaure foundered. If this be true, poor little Par- 
seval * has perished, and perhaps young d'Houdetot as well. 

* The battle of Trafalgar was fought on October 2d. M. de Parseval was not 
killed, neither was young M. d'Houdetot, who was destined to become General 



U2 LETTERS OF MADAME DE REMVSAT. 

M. de Lina told Alix that all private accounts agreed in prais- 
ing tlie courage and skill of the French, but said, at the same 
time, it was impossible to form quickly and safely into line 
of battle in such a gale of wind, and against an enemy 
already in battle order, and, moreover, very skillful. The 
French were so desperate that, their admiral's flagship being- 
taken, in the night the prisoners massacred the English sailors 
who were guarding them, and succeeded in escaping. But 
the ship had suffered terribly, and went down in sight of the 
harbor. I hope that some of these details are exaggerated. 
You will know sooner than I, and will write me word. 

I thank you for your good news. It is indeed a miracu- 
lous campaign, and I say, like an excellent country gentleman 
who wrote to my mother yesterday, " By the side of our Em- 
peror, Caesar and Alexander would have been but lieutenants." 
Alix has at last heard from her husband. He had suffered a 
little from the cold weather and the snow, but is in good 
health nevertheless. His wife's letters do not reach him. 
If you could contrive to let him know, either through M. de 
Talleyrand or M. de Caulaincourt, that she is well, and that 
Stephen * is more charming than ever, it would be a great 
kindness. Poor Thierry f traveled fifty miles in vain after 
the lost letters. Mme. de Fezensac has heard from her son ; 
he is perfectly well, often sleeps on the ground in the open 
air, but takes no harm, and seems in capital spirits. He 
writes that the Emperor goes about everywhere, wet and 
muddy like the rest of them, and that he is positively wor- 
shiped by the soldiers. Some young men of our acquaint- 
ance, who are there and conducting themselves well, will 
contrast favorably with all the idlers who, in laying down 
their sword, seem to have laid down their manhood also. . . . 

France d'Houdetot. He was, however, severely wounded in both knees. He was 
on board Magon's ship, a friend of his family's who was killed. M. de Parseval- 
Desch^nes rose to the rank of vice-admiral, and died in 1860. 

* Etienne (or Stephen) de Nansouty, the General's son. 

\ M. Thieri'y was aide-de-camp to General Nansouty, 



SNEEZING AND WISHING. I43 



LXXY. 

TO M. DE EEMUSAT, AT STKASBUEG. 

Paris, Tuesday, 21 JBi-umairc, Year XIV. 
{November 12, 1805.) 

. . . This morning Charles sneezed, and I politely said, 
" May you obtain your wish, my son ! " " My wish," he said, 
" is that papa may come home." And, without sneezing, 
mon ami, that is my most ardent wish also. It pervades the 
whole atmosphere of the house ; mistresses and servants, we 
all want you back. This is all I have to tell you to-day, for 
I know of nothing else, and my heart is full of sadness that 
I do not wish to communicate to you. l^ot that there is any- 
thing fresh ; but the weather is gloomy, people complain of 
the scarcity of money, croaking politicians will have it that 
Prussia is going to declare against us, and then this long wid- 
owhood, and the solitary hours far from him I love best, are 
killing me with dullness and melancholy. Your empty days 
at Strasbui'g are not worse than mine. How I long for 
another year, though, perhaps, it would be more sensible for 
me now not to wish time to fly so fast ! How painful is the 
absence of all that consoles the heart or delights the eyes ! 
This great Paris becomes every day more gloomy ; no one 
visits, we shut ourselves up that we may not spend our money. 
The theatres are absolutely empty, the shop-windows full of 
things that nobody buys, and ennui is the order of the day. 
Meanwhile the Emperor is bestowing glory and success on 
his army, and the next news will, no doubt, be dated from 
Yienna. "Would you believe that sitting here all alone by my 
■fire, and going over this astonishing campaign, seeing him at 
the end of six weeks entering the enemy's capital in triumph, 
I feel alarmed for the danger he is perhaps incurring, and 
lest traitors may be concealed in Yienna ? And then, power- 
less as I am to do aught but implore God to watch over him, 
I exclaim in all sincerity, " May God preserve him ! " 



144 LETTERS OF MADAME DE REMU8AT. 

Mme. de Talleyrand had a terrible scare. Her husband's 
death was suddenly reported with considerable appearance of 
truth. One of her brothers told her of it. You can imagine 
the state she was in. It was not until two days later that his 
letters arrived, but we have not discovered what can have 
given rise to the report. 

You must have a great number of ladies at Strasburg. 
I suppose Mme. de la Rochefoucauld made her appearance 
there on Saturday or Sunday. She was very unwell when 
she set out on her journey, and I doubt whether traveling 
can have cured her. I know from her doctor that she is 
much worse than she herself believes, and that her spirit, 
rather than her strength, is keeping her up. The unrest of 
her life is wearing her out, and it is true that a great deal 
of strength is required to resist, if I may so say, the cease- 
less swing of a Court life. For m3''self, 9non ami, I feel that 
I could not endure anything so opposed to my tastes and 
temperament if my affections did not make up for various 
little annoyances. This, I believe, would always be the 
case with me ; in whatever position I might be placed, my 
heart must always play a certain part in every important 
action of my life. Unless this were so, I should grudge the 
sacrifices imposed on me, and, in spite of the good principles 
in which I have been brought up, I should not, perhaps, ful- 
fill all my duties as I ought, although I hope I would still 
try to accomplish them. Do not, however, draw any evil 
conclusions from the confession I have unguardedly made. 
Have you not made those very duties delightful to me? 
For my part, I find nothing painful in the thought that I 
owe all and everything to you, even my good qualities. 



8GABGITY OF MONEY. 145 

LXXYI. 

TO M. DE EEMUSAT, AT STKASBUKG. 

Paris, 24. Brumaire, Year XIV. 
{November 15, 1805.) 

Theee is nothing new here. The crowd has given up 
the Bank, and assembles now at the doors of the municipali- 
ties, to obtain orders for the payment of five-hundred-franc 
notes ; but as nothing is so difficult as to quiet the Parisians 
respecting their money, the crowd is so dense that to reach 
the door is impossible ; so that, if one is pressed for money, 
it is better to buy it at once. It is cheaper now. After 
having reached ten and even eleven per cent., it is now at 
five, and it is hoped that the good news we are expecting 
will produce a beneficial effect. The scarcity of money is 
much talked about, because it inconveniences everybody 
more or less. For the last month I have become so clever 
in banking matters, by dint of hearing of bills, discount, 
etc., that there was no need to apologize for your little dis- 
sertation on political economy. Bertrand, to whom I read 
it, says that you talk like a Secretary for Commercial Af- 
fairs ! He begged to be afliectionately remembered to you ; 
he regrets your absence, and wishes you were back, like all 
our friends. You are much desired at our little Wednesday 
evenings. You know pretty well the names of all the 
guests ; I have added a few more that accident has brought 
across my path ; among others, M. Suard, who seems anxious 
to meet you again. He dined here yesterday. These even- 
ings of ours are rather pleasant ; we say clever things whe7% 
we can / we argue and dispute, as you may imagine, and M. 
de ISTorvins's foolish speeches are inexhaustible. By the way, 
I must tell you that Constance won't hear of him, but if you 
promise to keep the secret, I may inform you she is rather 
interested in a certain M. d'Heliand * whom Alix intro- 

* M. d'Heliand, who died in 1858, at the age of ninety, did not become 
Receiver-General, nor did he marry Mile, de Vannoise. He lived a long time 

7 



146 LETTERS OF MADAME DE REM US AT. 

diieed, and wliom we like very mucli. lie is an intimate 
friend of M. de JS'ansouty's, was brought np at the Ecole 
Militaire, is a widower and son-in-law to Corvisart's wife. 
Corvisart presented liim to Prince Louis, who promised he 
would procure him a Receiver-Generalship. If he obtains 
the post, he will add the salary to an income of ten thousand 
francs from landed property, and he offers the whole to 
Constance. She seems inclined to accept it, and so does 
her mother. The Empress will help us, you will also, and 
Corvisart besides; thus we may succeed. He was rather 
afraid of a divorced mother-in-law, but the daughter's fine 
eyes have smoothed away all objections, and she considers 
seven-and-thirty the ideal age for a bridegroom. You must 
keep our little secret. 

I went to the first performance of " Amalfi," which, not- 
withstanding all the fuss Picard had made over it, was a 
complete failure. It is a serious, tiresome opera, and, with 
the exception of two or three pieces, very mediocre. Your 
Bouffons are not equal to this kind of opera ; they should 
be satisfied with making us laugh. To repair their mistake 
they are preparing " II Finto Sordo." I shall hear Mme. 
Cavanatti on Wednesday, and will report on her to the best 
of my ability. But if you really want to have good singers 
here, you must make up your mind to pay them highly, or 
else, people say, to restore the amateur or the Olympic 
concerts, which were so good, and did not interfere with 
the success of the company in '89. There would be a 
subscri]3tion of five or six louis, the singers would im- 
prove, and then, by engaging March esi, Catalani, Crescenti- 
ni, etc., Paris would soon possess the finest possible school 

in Touraine in great solitude. His son, a playfellow of my father's, also died 
in 1858. He was in receipt of a retiring pension from the Ministry of Foreign 
Affairs. Suard, who was born in 1*732 and died in 1817, was editor for a long 
time of the " Journal Etranger " and the " Gazette de France." His writings 
have been collected under the title of " Melanges de Litterature," five vols., 
octavo. He was always considered to have more talent for conversation than 
talent strictly so called. 



TEE PANGS OF SEPARATION. 147 

of music. There is a very good company in Yienna just 
now, who may, perhaps, come to us as trophies of our con- 
quest. I wish it may be so, for Italian music is all the 
fashion, and it would be a good opportunity for calling it 
Frenoh Tnusic. 



LXXYIII. 

TO M. DE EEMUSAT, AT VIENNA. 

Friday, 8 Frimaire, Year XIV. 
{November 29, 1805.) 

Oh, mon ami, what a separation ! how my heart is aching ! * 
Your two loving and sad letters arrived together ; I must 
have guessed what they contained, for I was greatly moved, 
and not with delight, in opening them. I burst into tears as 
I read, and I am weeping still. I blame myseK for letting 
you see my misery, for it will grieve you, but I can not re- 
strain it, and I feel it can only increase until the day that I 
shall hear from you of your safe arrival in Yienna. How I 
regret now that I considered my health so much and did not 
accompany the Empress ! The journey could not do me 
more harm than the anxiety that will cling to me night and 
day. ... 

Sunday, 10 Fi'imaire. 

Forgive me for telling you of my sufferings. It is almost 
against my will that I write of them, but my heart and my 
head are full of but one idea. However, I am less agitated 
than at first. I have been making inquiries about the roads, 
and I am told they are quite safe for traveling. But I know 
I shall be easier when I hear you are with the Emperor. A. 
superstitious feeling that I can. not explain, but which is 

* The Emperor had entered Vienna on 22 Brumaire (November 13), and his 
First Chamberlain followed him thither with the regalia that he had already 
conveyed to Milan, and which included part of the crown jewels. 



148 LETTERS OF MADAME DE REMTJSAT. 

deeply implanted in me, gives me a conviction tliat the 
superior Power who guards him watches also over those about 
liim, and that no misfortune can happen near his person. 
This feeling, which was strong before, is now strengthened 
by many proofs, and, however valiant our troops, I do not 
doubt for an instant that it is to him we owe all our recent 
glory. 

Tou can easily picture to yourself the great sensation 
produced by our victories and our entry into Yienna. There 
had been extreme uneasiness here. Evil rumors, as usual, 
were in circulation, and were too easily believed. At last the 
cannon was heard, and our incredible success became known. 
The very streets were joyful, and there was a feeling of 
French vanity which struck me, because, unfortunately, it is 
not very usual among Parisians. After due enjoyment of 
the news, the caballing has begun again, and for the last 
week politics have been the order of the day. I should never 
end if I were to repeat to you all that is said. Everybody 
rearranges Europe according to his own idea, destroys em- 
pires or builds them up, makes peace or carries on the war, 
without troubling himself much as to the eventual results of 
his policy ; and it does not need much discernment to per- 
ceive in each individual the small opposing interests that 
suggest these various arrangements. The Empress's jour- 
ney occasioned rumors of peace, while yours makes people 
say that the coronation ornaments are being taken to Yienna ; 
in one drawing-room I hear of a King of Poland, in another 
of a King of Bavaria, and so on. Then somebody comes to 
see me, asks me questions, and when I am quite tired of in- 
terrogations that I have good reasons for not answering, 
because I really know nothing, I say, " Why don't you leave 
it all to our ruler, and enjoy at your leisure the prosperity 
that his activity procures for you ? " . . . 



RUMORS OF PEACE. U9 

LXXIX. 

TO M. DE EEMUSAT, A.T VIENNA. 

Pabis, 13 Frimaire, Year XIV. 
{December ^, 1805.) 

Mon a7ni, I passed the day before ye'sterday aloue with 
my mother, l^o visits, no more letters from Strasburg ! To 
make up for these privations we had devoted om- evening to 
reading a little, to talking of you, of our children, of their 
future prospects, and slightly against our neighbor ; for you 
know there must always be a little gossip to enliven women, 
and even men, I think. After that we went to bed, and I 
fell asleep, thinking as usual of your absence, and also of 
your journey. This morning, at seven, I was awoke with a 
start by the courier. He seemed to make more noise than 
ordinary ; at any rate, he rang a great peal ! All my house- 
hold were instantly on the alert, and ran into my room, ex- 
claiming, joyfully, " There is peace ! " I still doubted ; I re- 
strained their delight, in which I did not immediately join, 
but hastened to seek further information. At last I learned 
that the announcement has been made at the theatres that 
proposals of peace have been made by the Emperor of Aus- 
tria, and that negotiations are in progress. You may imagine 
the general delight ! You know how soon our Parisians will 
let themselves hope, just as easily as they give way to de- 
spair, and on this occasion they are eager to believe in that 
which they wish. They are shouting " Peace ! " * People 
tell each other the news in the streets ; they embrace : the 
Emperor is coming back ; they inquire what route he will 
take, that they may be there to receive him ! . . . 

I am going to-day to the Luxembourg. It will be my 
first time of going out since you began your journey. I have 
been a little unwell, and as, unfortunately, the absence of the 

* All this delight was caused by false news. Peace was not made until 
later. 



150 LETTERS OF MADAME DE El^MUSAT. 

Empress leaves me at full liberty, I make use of it to nurse 
myself when I feel out of sorts, and, both from prudence 
and from inclination, I remain at my own fireside. This 
solitude, which I like, is also very useful to my finances, 
which are straitened, as you know, and, notwithstanding the 
economy with which I endeavor to manage all things, life in 
this Paris of ours is so dear that I spend more than I can 
afford. ... 

Matthieu Mole is bringing out a book, his first attempt ; 
nothing more, in fact, than a short essay on politics and 
metaphysics, which women will be forbidden to read and 
very few men will appreciate.* It is to be accompanied by 
three extracts from newspapers, by MM. de Fontanes, de 
Bonald, and Lacretelle. Mole does not own to the author- 
ship of the work, but it is well known, and he is quite puffed 
up. If it amuses him, what does it matter, as TTerther says, 
so long as one is happy, whether one is threading peas or 
beans ? As for me, who am threading nothing at present, I 
am endeavoring with all my might to dispel the ennui that 
devours me. However, I am in better spirits, as you may 
perceive, than when I wrote to you last. I revive at the 
hope of peace ; my heart is no longer so heavy when I pass 
the Tuileries. I looked at the palace to-day, and told myseK 
it was being made ready for the Emperor, and I shed tears 
of joy. AVhen I know that he is there, and that I see you 
again in my little room, I shall have nothing to wish for. 



LXXX. 

TO ai. DE KE:MrSAT, AT TIEXXA. 



Paris, Wednesday^ 30 Frimaire^ Ytar XIV. 
{December 11, 1S05.) 

Mon ami., yesterday evening at seven o'clock Princess 
Louis sent for me in haste. I went to her immediately in a 
* M. Mole published his book, which is alluded to in the Memoirs. 



BATTL'E OF AUSTERLITZ. 151 

Btate of some alarm ; for yon know one is generally more 
disposed to expect bad news than good. On reaching her 
house, I found the Princess quite agitated, weeping and 
laughing bj turns. Her first words, like her first impres- 
sions, were of the danger to which the Emperor had exposed 
himself. " He commanded in person," she exclaimed, "and 
completely defeated the two Emperors ! " * And we had 
known nothing about it ! You. can understand that on hear- 
ing this I too began to tremble. However, I gathered up 
my strength to hear particulars of the great day. I was in 
dread about M. de Xansouty, but was reassured by seeing 
that his name does not appear on Prince Murat's list of 
wounded. After having heard all there was to tell, I made 
my escape and came running back to my mother to tell her 
the glorious news ; then to Mme. Devaines's, where I began 
my story over again ; then to everybody I could think of, 
and lastly to Mme. d'Houdetot's, where I found quite a 
crowd of people. I had scarcely uttered a few words ere I 
was surrounded, questioned, obliged to recommence my story 
twenty times over, and, according as I spoke, astonishment 
and admiration increased. It was midnight when at last I 
returned home, worn out with emotion and fatigue, incapable 
of speaking another word, and of any other feeling but that 
with which I naturally turn toward you, who must have ex- 
perienced the same agitation and delight as I. 

But only imagine, mon ami, we knew nothing, and were 
calmly awaiting the conclusion of peace and the return of 
the Emperor. Both had been so positively announced that 
nothing less than such a wonderful victory as this, in place 
of his ardently desired return, could have produced an effect 
here. People were already beginning to wonder at the eight 
days' silence. The French are rather like women, exacting 
and impatient. It is true that the Emperor has spoiled us in 
this campaign, and certainly never was lover more eager to 
obey the wishes of his mistress than was his Majesty to fulfill 
* The battle of Austerlitz on 11 Frimaire (December 2, 1805). 



152 LETTERS OF MADAME DE REMUSAT. 

ours. " You wish for a rapid march % " " "Well, then, here 
is an army that was at Boulogne, and which in three weeks' 
time shall be in Germany." " You want a stronghold 
taken ? " " Ulm has capitulated." " You are not satisfied ? 
you want more victories ? " " Here they are ; here is Yienna 
that you wished for, and lastly a pitched battle, in order that 
no kind of triumph may be wanting to you ! " To all this 
we must add a number of noble and generous deeds, and 
words full of grandeur and goodness, so that our hearts are 
gladdened by this victory in addition to the national pride 
with which it fills us. 

I am exjoecting a letter from you within the next few 
days, to tell me of your arrival at Yienna, and give us the 
details that we wish for and yet dread. It is impossible that 
this victory can have been attained without unavoidable sac- 
rifices, and we have so many friends in the army who must 
have been exposed to danger ! Perfect joy is not for this 
world, and it is we poor women who, for the most part, pay 
the share due to sorrow. It really seems as if, in the distri- 
bution of parts, you had allotted to us that of lamenting the 
misfortunes which you cause, just as the ancients appointed 
official mourners in some of their funeral ceremonies. How- 
ever, I do not blame you for such a division. I love all the 
emotions to which we are predisposed, and although they 
sometimes cause us the keenest grief, they procure us enjoy- 
ments which richly repay us for everything. 

Do not expect me to write to you on any other subject. 
I can think of nothing but this victory. Yesterday evening, 
in the midst of all our delight, we made the remark that it 
would be impossible to bear much longer the feverish agita- 
tion in which we have been kept for two months. It wears 
out, and, indeed, it spoils the rest of one's life. How can one, 
after such violent emotions, resume the daily tasks of life, 
and return to the circle of narrow ideas which are generated 
and destroyed, almost at the same time, by the life of society ? 
When peace is made, what can we talk of in those drawing- 



AUSTERLITZ. 153 

rooms, wliere we now discuss siicli great subjects ? How 
sliall we be able to resume our frivolous conversations ? The 
Emperor does not know how he educates us, and what energy 
he gives to our minds by this succession of miraculous events. 
Men will be in no difficulty, but you have so arranged mat- 
ters for us that we shall not know what to do with the en- 
thusiasm that women can seldom display with impunity, or 
without making themselves ridiculous. 

I have just been interrupted by Charles Lebrun,* who 
had the kindness to come and see me. He related every- 
thing, and my admiration is increased on hearing the partic- 
ulars. What a splendid story it will be ! I wish I had the 
talent to write it! M. Lebrun did not see M. ISTansouty 
after the battle ; but he says that had anything happened to 
him he would be sure to know it, I hope you will give us 
some news of him, and also of yourself, mon ami. I hope 
tliat you are at Vienna, but I do not know. Oh ! if peace 
only follows on so many victories, I assure you I shall be- 
come a devote ; gratitude will put the finishing touch to my 
conversion. 

Adieu. I think I love you more than ever when I am 
happy. It is true that I used to say the same thing when 
in my melancholy moods. The truth is that my love for you 
mingles with my every feeling, to embellish or console. 



LXXXI. 

TO M. DE REMUSAT, AT VIENNA. 

Paris, Monday^ 27 Frhnaire, Year XIV. 
{December IS, 1805.) 

Is it possible that we shall soon meet again ? The Em- 
peror's return is announced in all quarters, and I find it diffi- 

* Charles Lebrun, aide-de-camp to the Emperor, was the son of the Due de 
Plaisance. He was subsequently a deputy, then a senator under the Second 
Empire, and Grand Chancellor of the Legion of Honor. He died in 1859. 



ISJ: LETTERS OF MADAME BE REMUS AT. 

cult to resist belief in what I wisli for so miicli. If he comes, 
I venture to answer for it, he will be received with the 
greatest enthusiasm. You can not imagine the state of ex- 
citement in Paris. His praises are echoed on all sides, and 
j)ersons whom we knew to be most opposed to him are 
obliged to yield, and to say with the Emperor of Russia, 
" He is predestined ! " On Saturday evening I accompanied 
Princess Louis to the theatres, to hear the bulletins read. 
They were full, for the cannon had announced in the morn- 
ing that there was something new, and the people listened, 
sympathized, and applauded with shouts that I never could 
have imagined. Meanwhile I was crying my heart out. I 
was so agitated that I believe, had the Emperor suddenly 
appeared, I should have thrown myself into his arms, though 
afterward I must have asked pardon at his feet. I went out 
to supper afterward. I was questioned, of course, but I 
knew the bulletin by heart and repeated it continually, and 
I felt proud, and at the same time moved, while repeating 
to certain persons its simple and penetrating words with a 
feeling of ownership w^hich can be better understood than 
described. . . . 



LXXXII. 

TO M. DE KEMUSAT, AT VIENNA. 



Paris, 8 Mvose, Year XIV. 
{December £9, 1805.) 

Every one here is still talking of the Emperor's return, 
yet, I know not why, I dare not hope for it so soon. In 
your last letters you say nothing of it ; the newspapers are 
full of little alarming paragraphs, and then, as the Parisians 
can never remain long of the same mind, they are beginning 
to spread fresh doubts as to peace. May the English be 
accursed if they contrive further complications, and may the 



OPERATIC FETE. 155 

evil they try to do us recoil on their own heads ! I am not 
surprised at your emotion on again meeting the Emperor. 
I understood and almost felt it. I think he will be pleased 
with the Parisians on his return. It is true that he will be 
able to say with Tancred : 

"Mon triomphe est parfait, sans doute il m'est Men dd." * 

I wrote to Maherault on the subject of your letter, but as 
he is really very unwell, and has not strength to transact any 
business, I sent for some of- the actors of the Comedie, and 
suggested to them to exert themselves a little. They seemed 
full of " Gaston et Bayard," f and, after a reperusal of the 
work, I am quite of their opinion. The play, although a 
middling one, is full of appropriate allusions in almost every 
line. Moreover, it is national. The part of Bayard is a fine 
one ; on the whole, I think it a good selection, and Pesfau- 
cherets is altogether of my opinion. They are studying it, 
therefore, and will study "Manlius" :|: afterward, so as to act 
it in January. Duval * has written a very pretty play, which 
has been accepted, and will also be put on the stage; and 
then (pray answer all this immediately) this is what is going 
on. The Opera is ]3reparing a fete which, between our- 
selves, I think rather extraordinary. They purpose putting 
the Tuileries and the Carrousel and the Emperor himself on 
the stage ; that is to say, an actor representing him will 

* The line is not accurately quoted in the text, and it is a mistake to at- 
tribute it to Tancred, who says nothing like it, for he is unfortunate all through. 
But at the beginning of scene 5 of Act, Amenai'de exclaims : 

" Mon honheur est au comble ! helas ! il m'est Hen dii." 

f The tragedy of " Gaston et Bayard," in five acts, in verse, by M. de Belloy, 
who was born in 1727 and died in 1775, had been performed for the first time 
in 1771. 

\ The tragedy of " Manlius," by Antoine Arnault, who was born in 1766 and 
died in 1836, had been performed during the Revolution. 

* This comedy of Duval's is one of the best he ever wrote. It was called at 
that time " Une Etourderie de Charles II." It has since been performed under 
the title of "La Jeunesse de Henri IV." 



156 LETTERS OF MADAME DE EfiMUSAT. 

make his triumphant entiy, his car drawn by the populace 
of Paris. Tliis fete is under the management of M. Esme- 
nard ; * yet, if I dared, I would say that it would be better 
to produce a play in which, the application being less obvi- 
ous, the public might voluntarily seize on the allusions. 
Praise in the other case seems to savor of flattery. At any 
rate, Bouilly is now writing a piece in which Mile. Contat 
is to act. It is on the subject of the recovered colors. They 
came to ask me whether, in my opinion, the piece could be 
represented at your theatre. I was puzzled, or rather, I was 
not, for I said I could not give an opinion on the matter. 
What do you think of it ? If the subject were suitably 
treated, would you give permission ? "Would the Emperor 
allow it ? Answer me as soon as possible. 

While on the subject of theatres, let me give you an ac- 
count of another. A few days ago I saw Legouve's f trag- 
edy, " La Mort de Henri lY," and was highly pleased with 
it. I was greatly prejudiced against the work, but my pre- 
judices yielded to the tears I shed. The role of Henri 
Quatre is really noble and pathetic, that of Marie is deeply 
impassioned, and Sully's is very fine. What I particularly 
liked was a speech of the King's, in which he reveals his 
designs against Austria — it is an exact history of this last 
campaign. The conspirator Epernon is well drawn ; he 
takes advantage of a momentary weakness of the Queen, 
who is ambitious and" jealous in the extreme, to obtain from 
her a kind of consent, which she promptly retracts ; so that, 
although guilty, she is not altogether odious. All the tradi- 

* Esmenard, born in 1*770, died in 1816, had just published his poem of 
" La Navigation." He was successively a journalist, the head of the Bureau 
dcs Theatres, Secretary of the Government of La Martinique, Consul at St. 
Thomas, and didactic poet. He was exiled in 1811, notwithstanding his produc- 
tion of " Trajan " at the Opera, in honor of the Emperor's return. 

f M. Gabriel Legouve, who was born in 1764 and died in 1813, was the au- 
thor of " La Mort d'Abel," of " Eteocle," and of " La Mort de Henri IV," and 
of a poem on the merit of women. He was father to M. Ernest Legouve, who, 
like himself, was a most distinguished member of the French Academy. 



NFW YEAR'S GIFTS. 157 

tionary specclies of Henry lY are given, even to tlie poule 
au pot / his last conversation with Sully is repeated, word 
for word. In short, I was moved to tears, and I think that, 
despite a few faults, it is a remarkable work, and so admira- 
bly contrived that its allusions are invariably comprehensible 
without being dragged in, and that it would be im23ossible, 
while applauding Henry lY, not to think instantly of the 
Emperor. Legouve is most anxious that you should read 
his work, and I venture to hope you will be of my opinion. 

I have written you quite a long account of the theatres, 
but I have not yet finished. I must also tell you of a per- 
formance that took place on Saturday, at Mme. Pastoret's. 
The play represented was " L' Avocat Patelin," * and the actors 
were our children. It was quite a success. Gustave did re- 
markably well as the avocat, and Charles as Agnelet. You 
would have been delighted, and would have shared our ma- 
ternal emotions. This kind of amusement is very good for 
Charles ; it makes him speak up and clearly, and then it 
amuses him, and that — may I say it ? — is so much gained on 
the enemy. 

Xext Wednesday will be ISTew Year's Day, and I shall 
pass it in sadness away from you. Paris is not gay, in spite 
of the return of January, and the tradesmen dare not give 
way to the flights of their imagination. As for myself, I 
am disposed to grumble, because at this time of year I feel 
more than ever the insufficiency of my means for aU the 
presents I should like to make, and I have the greatest diffi- 
culty in adapting my N"ew Year's gifts to the state of my 
finances. I can recollect when the coming of this time of 
the year was a great delight to me, but that is already a 
pleasure of the past, as are so many others that end with our 
youth. Happy are we if we retain the feelings of our hearts 
in undiminished strength ! 

* " L' Avocat Patelin " is a comedy by Breys and Palaprat, taken from an 
old farce of the Middle Ajres. 



158 LETTERS OF MADAME DE REMUSAT. 



LXXXIII. 

TO M. DE EEMUSAT, AT VIENNA. 

Paris, Tuesday, 10 Hivose, Year XIV. 
{December 31, 1805.) 

Man ami, I wish you a liappy ]^ew Year, and I wish 
that you may pass it with me, in order that mine may be 
happy also. My heart is very heavy that you should be so 
far away ; I had hoped for your presence at this season, and 
I am greatly depressed. . . . 

The children are well, and I hope Charles will get through 
the winter without any drawbacks ; he looks in excellent 
condition. I am busied with his dress to-day, because he has 
received an invitation, in due form, from Prince ISTapoleon,* 
to a little fete, beginning at six o'clock. There are. to be 
marionettes, a magic lantern, and a lottery of toys. 

After this entertainment, w^hich, as you may suppose, will 
be over at an early hour, I intend to pay a few visits, and I 
shall probably pass my week in that tiresome occupation. 
I must relinquish the laziness which your absence and the 
want of occupation have rendered dear to me. . . . 

Eleven p. m. 

I left my letter this morning to attend to my New Year's 
gifts. I received very pretty presents from my mother, my 
sister, and a few friends, and had, therefore, to reciprocate. 
I made a handsome present to Corvisart, and gifts to all my 
household, so that this 1st of January has cost me dear, and 
at the same time I am full of regret that I could not give 
something to all those whom I love. This is w^hy I sorrow- 
fully repeat the usual burden of my song : " We shall never 
be rich, for we spend more than we have." 

I went afterward to the Princess Louis's, before her 

* Queen Ilortense's eldest son, who died a few months later. 



NEW YEAR'S DAY. 159 

usual reception hour. She had organized a little fete at six 
o'clock. It was a very pretty party, full of the childish 
gayety which is unclouded only at that age when it can not be 
appreciated, and your son was thought very handsome ; he 
behaved nicely, and I was quite pleased. I had feared lest 
his superiority of age should make him unwilling to yield the 
first place to the little princes in all the games, and had given 
him a little lecture accordingly. He quite understood the 
situation, and his manners were a pretty mixture of deference 
and ease. There was a magic lantern, marionettes, a little 
supper, and a most successful lottery for playthings. Then 
my son and I took our leave, and I came home to my 
mother. Just at present she is at supper at Mme. Davaines's, 
and I, in my dressing-gown by the fire, am writing to my 
heart's beloved, and assuring him, at this season, of the love 
that is the very ha23piness of my life. Oh ! onon ami, this, 
which makes absence so painful, is also a very great delight, 
and for nothing in the world would I give up the emotions 
now filling my heart, unless, indeed, for those I should feel if 
I could now hold you in my arms. Time is flying, youth 
will soon escape me, but I shall let it go without dread and 
almost without regret, because you have convinced me that I 
shall always be equally dear to you. When I cast a glance 
over that portion of my life that we have already traversed 
together ; when I say to myself, " What ! ten years already ! " 
I always feel impelled to add. Yes, ten years of happiness 
are gone ; but, thanks to the dearest of husbands, all that 
remain to me will be happy too, because happiness, when 
built up on heartfelt affection, is independent of the caprices 
of fortune." 

It is painful to me to quit this subject, in order to tell 
you of other matters, and if I yielded to my own inclination, 
I should amuse myself by seeking new ways of assuring you 
of my affection, and of my gratitude toward the guide, the 
support, the charm, the delight of my whole life ; but I must, 
for a moment, leave all this. I assure you that, if you are 



160 LETTERS OF MADAME DE REMUS AT. 

likely to remain absent mucli longer, you must take some 
steps about the administration of the Theatre, for Malierault 
can no longer manage it. The poor man is in a pitiable 
state; lie can scarcely drag himself along, his speech is 
greatly affected, and there is a corpse-like odor about him 
which is horrible. The doctors do not expect he will live 
long enough to get to some watering-place when the season 
begins. How can he in such a state attend to the actors ? 
They are left to themselves, and everything is in a state of 
confusion. Discord prevents any variety in the repertory ; 
Mile. Contat will neither act herself nor let others act ; Mile. 
Eaucourt does not appear ; Talma says he is still weak and 
ill ; there are no receipts except when the " Templiers," 
which always draws, is given. Four or five tragedies have 
been accepted. Some of these are said to be good, but they 
can not be produced, as their turn does not come until after 
that of some pieces that, either from weakness or want of 
judgment, had been accepted, and which for the last eight 
months nobody will act or even study ; and so everything is 
at a standstill. A kind of deputation came to me the day 
before yesterday, inquiring for the date of your return as that 
of the end of all their woes, and complaining that it is im- 
possible forMaherault to manage the Theatre. They all beg 
that, if possible, you will tell the Emperor of the state to 
which they are reduced by the number of minor theatres in 
Paris, and really they have no hope but in what you may be 
able to say. I doubt whether the Emperor, in the midst of 
his great occupations, can find time to look into their griev- 
ances ; but I can foresee that you will have enough to do on 
your return in setting all this machinery in order. I pointed 
out to them that this year ought not to be judged by ordi- 
nary rules, for it was only natural that the theatres should 
have suffered greatly from the general depression ; that the 
only way of meeting their ill-fortune would have been to 
redouble their exertions ; and that at the present time, in 
order to conciliate his Majesty, they should prepare some 



THEATRICAL AFFAIRS. 161 

amusement for liim on his return, and carefully revise their 
repertory, immediately on his arrival. I ventured to tell 
Maherault to say, as if from you, that " Antiochus Epiphane " 
must be played within a fortnight. It is a terribly stupid 
piece, that has stopped everything for the last nine months. 
They promised me to push forward " Gaston," which has 
been authorized by the police, at the same rate ; also " Man- 
lius et Catilina," Duval's charming comedy, and another 
comedy, I don't know what, in five acts. You see what I 
have done ; but as I dare not put myself too forward, I can 
not answer for it that there will be no difficulties, and I, like 
your actors, wish for you with my whole soul. The other 
theatres are not more flourishing. The Opera has made ten 
or fifteen thousand francs less than the Porte St. Martin. 
For two months there has been no division of profits at the 
Feydeau, and the Bouffons are in great need of the recruits 
you are procuring for them, " La Principessa d'Amalfi " and 
the " Finto Sordo " were failures, and did them harm. You 
see that it is in the order of things that amusements should 
not fiourish in your absence. But Paris is only waiting for 
her master's return to be brilliant, and I to be happy. The 
newsmongers would have it that he arrived last night at the 
Tuileries, and were looking for him through the windows. I 
dare not again ask you what you either do not know or may 
not tell. I long for you ; I hope that you will come, but I 
dare not expect you ; I pray to God ; I try to be brave and 
to make a virtue of necessity ; but I have made little progress 
in this direction, and I am sometimes so discouraged and 
impatient that I should be angry with myself only that I find 
relief in solitary tears. , 



162 LETTERS OF MADAME BE EEMUSAT. 

LXXXIY. 

TO M. DE EEMUSAT, AT VIENNA.* 

Paris, Monday^ January 6, 1S06. f 
You, who know me so well and so completely share my 
every feeling, can easily imagine my emotion on reading the 
words, " / shall soon see you againP I have read them over 
a hundred times ; their sweet sound rings in my ears, follow- 
ing me everywhere, blending with all my thoughts, and giv- 
ing joy to the hours that are still to be passed away from you. 
At last happiness is returning to me ! What a delight to see 
the Emperor again, and how keenly will it be felt in Paris ! 
The splendid campaign, the glorious peace, his Majesty's 
prompt return — all are wonderful, and to me, who love to 
trace the workings of Providence in the events of life, it is 
delightful to see the hand of God in all these things. And 
yet, my dearest, when you are restored to me, when once 
more I shall hold you in my arms, I shall whisper to you that 
this painful separation has been cheered by many sweet 
emotions ; that your loving punctuality in writing to me, the 
deep affection expressed in all your letters, nay, even the 
tears they made me shed— all these things possessed a charm 
which I shall never forget, and which binds us only the 
more closely together. I hold the first place in your heart ; 
you tell me so continually ! I believe it, I shall always be- 
lieve it, and in this lies my happiness. But you too may feel 
assured that I can never love aught else as I love you, the 
friend, the guide, the joy of my life ; and I have the advan- 

* The new year, 1806, opens on the same state of affairs as that which existed 
at the end of 1805. The Peace of Presburg had been made on December 26th. 
But on January 1st the Emperor was still in Germany, at Munich. He did 
not return to Paris until the 24th of the same month. 

f By a Senatus-Consultum of 21 Fructidor, Tear XIII (September 8, 1805), 
the decrees of the Convention respecting the Republican calendar had been re- 
pealed, and the Gregorian calendar resumed, dating from January 1, 1806. 



LEBRUN FIND ARE. 163 

tage over yon that these were the first feelings of my 
heart. 

The return of the Emperor will be the signal for some 
splendid fetes. The Opera is preparing, and so is the city. 
I hope the performances will be in a truly national spirit. 
One of them, and it will, perhaps, be most gratifying to his 
Majesty, is a comedy which we are going to perform in his 
family circle, if I may use the expression. Princess Louis 
has kindly given me a part to act with her. I am deeply 
touched at such goodness, though my affection at least 
deserved it. It is a very nice role / there are phrases in it 
that I like, because they express my own feelings, and if 
timidity and emotion do not hinder me, I think I shall act it 
pretty well. The Princess will act as she always does. The 
piece is clever, so I think I can answer for its success. But 
I am unable to say as much for your Prangais. Maheraultis 
in such a state that he can do nothing ; he tries his best, but 
he is very ill, and your Comedie people take advantage of 
your absence and his illness. I have done my best, but you 
alone can remedy all the existing confusion and disorganiza- 
tion. It would be to their own interest to make more effort, 
but on that stage, as on a larger one, the actors prefer grum- 
bling at fate and indulging their vanity, which is ruining them. 
They quarrel, abuse each other, and hinder everything. I 
tremble at the complaints, the demands, and the discontent 
you will have to encounter on your return. 

Meanwhile I have strongly insisted on " Gaston," " Man- 
lius," and " Catilina " being put on the stage this month. I 
inclose a programme that was brought me by Dazincourt. 
He and his colleagues desire that the Emperor should be 
feted by the Theatre Prangais also. Lebrun* undertakes 
the ode. Just read over the programme, and write a line if 

* Lebrun, who was called Lebrun Pindare, born in 1729, died in 1807, was 
at that time greatly celebrated as a lyric poet, and with more reason as a writer 
of epigrams. His hundred and forty odes are forgotten, but a few of his six 
hundred epigrams have survived him. 



164 LETTERS OF MADAME BE REMU8AT. 

you approve of it, or send it back. I am ignorant whether 
actors can rightly take npon themselves thus to applaud in 
public the sovereign of the nation. You are a better judge 
than I, and you will decide the point. 

T am busy this morning with preparations for a fete of 
another kind, of the success of which I do not feel so sure. 
Duval has requested permission to read me a play that he 
has written for the Frangais, and which is said to be very 
clever. I have invited about thirty persons to hear it, who 
may give me more trouble than my guests of yesterday, al- 
though they will probably not upset my chairs and tables. 
But talking of guests, you will soon return, and I must give 
you an account of some new acquaintances that I have made, 
partly by my own wish, and partly because your wife's Wed- 
nesdays are beginning to be talked of, and people seek for 
introductions to me. First of all, Fontanes, for whom you 
know I have a weakness ; Monge, who has long had a weak- 
ness for me ; Carrion-JSTisas, whom I find amusing, and can 
not resist because he speaks so highly of you ; l^orvins, who 
makes us laugh ; your friend M. Camille Tournon, who is 
extremely pleasant ; M. Petitot, with whom we have re- 
newed our acquaintance ; * Legouve occasionally ; a little 
man named M. de Lagarde, who is husband to Mile. Killiet, 
and is agreeable besides. These are the only names I re- 
member at present. I can see from here the little sarcastic 
smile I know so well — " So my wife is setting up as a hel 
esprit I " By no means, monsieur ; but I let any one else who 
likes be clever, and when my friends choose to come, they 
meet my mother — who is a strong attraction to my salon — a 
good fire, tea, and philosophers. I listen with equal pleasure 
to Fontanes's preaching and Morellet's sarcasms, and as toler- 

* Monge, a member of the Institute and a senator, was, as every one knows, 
the inventor of Descriptive Geometry. He died in 1818, aged sixty-seven. Car- 
rion-Nisas, an ex-tribune, was an officer in a cavalry regiment, and a writer of 
tragedies ; born in HeV, died in 1842. Petitot, Inspector-General of the Uni- 
versity, and also a tragic poet. 



PRINCE EUGENE'S MARRIAGE. 165 

ance is not tlie fashionable virtue at present with either XJartj, 
the tolerance of my salon procures me friends. 

But all this would be much better if I had more money ; 
for, begging pardon of idealists, the metal that is so greatly 
despised, and yet so sought after, forms more than half the 
attractions of a hostess, and if to all my own I could add the 
very superior ones of a good table, I should be really cele- 
brated, and might double the number of raj friends. Such 
a life is, between ourselves, that which would please me best. 
My health is not good enough for the bustle of the world, 
and complete repose of body, with some emotion for the 
heart, and exercise for the brain, would suit me exactly. 
But I hope you will scarcely have time to read all this rub- 
bish. You are now on your road home, I hope and think, 
and in five or six days perha23s. . . . Adieu. I am expect- 
ing you, and this expectation is itself a happiness. 



LXXXY. 

TO M. DE KEilUSAT, AT VIENNA. , 

Paris, January 10, 1S06. 
_ So your homeward journey is again deferred. I went 
yesterday to Princess Louis's, to rehearse the little play we 
are going to perform before the Emperor. I was in high 
spirits ; I had received your Munich letter, and everything 
seemed to announce your speedy return, when Mme. Maret 
made her appearance with a letter from her husband, telling 
her of Prince Eugene's marriage,* and of the return of the 
Court at the end of the month. Mon mni, tears filled my 
eyes, and I came back sorrowfully to my solitude, which for 
the last few days had been made so bright by the hope of 

* Prince Eugene de Beauharnais, Archchancellor of State and Viceroy of 
Italy, married Princess Augusta Amelia, daughter of the King of Bavaria. 



166 LETTERS OF MADAME DE REMUS AT. 

seeing you. Princess Louis is grieved by lier absence from 
her brother's wedding. Slie told me with tears of the ob- 
stacles that had prevented her from going to Munich. She 
hides her grief courageously, but is distressed, and if her 
brother does not come to Paris for a while she will be per- 
fectly miserable. 

Meanwhile we continue the preparations for our fetes. 
The Opera will be brilliant, and the Comedie Frangaise is 
also at work, and will put " Gaston," " Manlius," and " Ca- 
tilina " on the stage in a month's time. But, unfortunately, 
Mile. Fleury has seized upon the best parts in each play, 
which will both delay and spoil them. It would be neces- 
sary that you should give orders for the distribution of parts. 
Mile. Duchesnois was willing to act in " Gaston," but Ma- 
herault is ill, and I have no authority. Bouilly has written 
a play in one act on the anecdote of the recovered colors, 
which has been accepted ; it is said to be clever. Finally, 
we too are acting plays. While awaiting the return of the 
Court, we are rehearsing day and night, with an extraordinary 
mingling of sentiment and nonsense. We shed tears when 
we think how great will be our emotion, and we laugh at the 
difficulty your Chamberlains find in singing in tune. M. 
d'Aubusson especially is excessively amusing; his voice is 
absolutely false, but he insists on singing, quarrels with Gras- 
set, whom he wants to accompany him by striking all his 
notes ^;'s^, and then, after a great fuss, he begins again, and 
is no nearer the tune than before. Happily, the actors' feel- 
ings are more in harmony than their voices, and that unison 
will cover a multitude of sins. 

I have just received a most extraordinary letter from Mme. 

de S . She says that she has been informed that the 

Emperor is coming back, but that the Empress will remain 
at Munich; that her husband importunes her to come to 
Paris, as he desires she should show special devotion to the 
Emperor. She adds that she has manifold reasons for wish- 
ing to remain in retirement, and begs me to write her a letter 



COUNT EUMFOBD. 167 

advising lier to do so, sucli as slie can show to liim. Slie says 

M. de S will probably be annoyed with me for giving 

her sucli advice, bnt that slie is in extreme need of it. I re- 
plied, telling her simply of the delay in the Emperor's return,' 
and ended my letter by expressing a great wish to see her 
again. I can understand why her husband wishes to put her 
forward. She is his best qualification, and his surest road to 
success. 

I dined at Fontanes's the day before yesterday. The 
Archchancellor was there and a number of legislators. I 
complimented the President on a charming article of his in 
the " Journal des Debats," praising Mathieu's book.* "We 
had some conversation about the speech he has to make on 
the opening of the Corps Legislatif . He confided to me that 
his subject frightened him, that it would be impossible to 
pronounce a panegyric worthy of the occasion, and that he 
shrank from coming to any decision. I quite believe him, 
for to praise duly is more difiicult than people think, and I 
fear that our writers will prove their inferiority in that respect. 

I am requested to ask you to make inquiries at Munich 
about Count Rumford. I heard such an extraordinary ac- 
count of him that I am curious to know the truth. It would 
seem, if I may believe my informant, that this " man of sci- 
ence" is a mere philosophic charlatan, without fortune or 
j)osition, and mixed up with several unpleasant stories. In 
fact, he is said to have no recommendation but that ot being 
subject every five or six months to a certain malady that shall 
be nameless, but which has apparently not frightened the 
(pretty) widow of five and forty. My mother wants you to 
get full particulars, and desires me to tell you that since the 
wedding a recipe for economical marriages has been discov- 
ered. They are called Rumford marriages. \ 

* M. de Fontanes, the President of the Corps Legislatif, had written an 
article on M. Mole, who was generally known in society at that time by his 
Christian name of Mathieu. 

f The allusion here is to cheap soups and Rumford stoves. The rumors then 



168 LETTERS OF MADAME BE E^MUSAT. 

LXXXVI. 

TO M. DE EEMUSAT, AT MAYENCE,* 

AuTEUiL, September 25, 1806. 

So it is my turn now to give you household news, and 
yours to leave home ! What a melancholy way of spending 
one's time, and I could say a great deal on the suhject if I 
had not made up my mind to dismiss it altogether. We 
must bow our heads in submission, and hope for better 
things in the future — for a time of repose that will have 
cost us dear, but that will console me, as I have already told 
you, for the loss of youth. If only your health does not 
suifer from this new journey ! That anxiety is always be- 
fore me. It seems to me that you were scarcely strong 
enough for all the trouble and cares that must fall upon you. 
Can you have undertaken a task beyond your strength? 
Have you a second time tried to battle against illness ? You 
know what it cost you once before. These are the anxious 
thoughts that pursue me since your departure, without 
counting bad roads and all the rest of it, so that all my 
days are passed in gloom. 

I went yesterday to take leave at St. Cloud. I found 

prevalent regarding that learned man may have been exaggerated. The marriage, 
however, ended in a separation, as may be seen in the Memoirs, and Count Rum- 
ford was obliged to leave Paris and reside in Germany on an allowance made by 
his wife. He died long before she did. 

* There is, as the reader will perceive, an interval of six months between 
this letter and the preceding one. My grandmother had passed part of the 
summer of 1806 at Cauterets, while her husband, children, mother, and sister, 
and Mme. de Grasse and her son, had taken up their abode in a hired house at 
Auteuil. The letters she wrote during her stay in the Pyrenees have not been 
preserved. She came to Auteuil fi-om Cauterets at the end of August or be- 
ginning of September, and very few days afterward, the departure of the Em- 
peror again separated her from her husband, who left for Mayencc on Septem- 
ber 21st or 22d. The Emperor set out on the 25th in order to undertake the 
Prussian campaign, which was not concluded until July, 1807. 



LEA VE-TAKINOS. 169 

every one sad and silent ; people were coming and going, 
and I looked on at their preparations and thought of you. 
I had breakfasted on the previous day with the Empress. 
In the midst of all the confusion at the palace, I contrived 
to catch M. de Talleyrand for a moment. He spoke of you, 
and thinks it well that you have gone ; tried to prove to me 
that I ought to be delighted ; says you must take care of 
yourseK, and is pleased at the thought of j&nding you there ; 
in fact, he thoroughly likes you. I thanked him ; but, al- 
though I was glad, tears filled my eyes. Alas ! mon ami, 
of how little account are the feelings of the heart in the 
business of life, and yet our true happiness is derived from 
afiection alone ! As I pen these words, I feel I must think 
of my children in order to be able to endure the burden 
that oppresses me. After parting from M. de Talleyrand, 
I saw Fouche, who was very kind, too, according to his own 
fashion, and then the Grand Equerry,* who spoke of you. 
This sad but precious subject of conversation was the only 
one on which I could speak, yet it made me weep, and most 
of the persons who were there would have been unable to 
enter into my feelings. I do not understand why, under 
such circumstances, people fancy themselves obliged to look 
pleased at what distresses them. Of course, we must do our 
duty, but who could require us to rejoice at being separated ? 

The Emperor began his journey last night, the Empress 
seeming happy at the prospect of seeing her daughter. She 
told me she was glad to t!^ink you would be there. I must 
confess I was two or three times greatly tempted to ask leave 
to join her, but my discretion held me back. . . . 

Mile, de Lugay was married this morning ; after the cere- 
mony they left Paris for St, Gratien. M. de Lugay said 
that he hoped it was of good augury for his daughter, since 
it was a place that had witnessed many happy marriages.f 

* M. de Caulaincourt. 

f M. de Lu9ay was Chamberlain to the Emperor. His daughter married 
Philippe de Segur, son of M. de Segur, member of the French Academy, and 



170 LETTERS OF MADAME BE REMUS AT. 

Tlie name of St. Gratieii and all the memories it includes 
impressed me in the midst of that splendid salon. "We passed 
many happy days in that little place, and I never thought it 
so ugly. M. de Lugay calls it a Jcennel, but I think we were 
very comfortable there — what say you ? 

The impression at Court yesterday was that the Em- 
peror's return would be speedy, and that of Paris is that we 
shall have no war. We can all rely on the activity and skill 
of the Emperor, but I do wish they were not so often called 
upon. If my new-born religious feeling did not forbid me 
to curse my neighbor, I think I should devote much impre- 
cation to the King of Prussia. . . . 



Lxxxvir. 

TO M. DE EEMUSAT, AT MATENCE. 

AuTEUiL, Simday, September 28, 1806. 

I AM still without a word from you, and, although I am 
well aware that it is almost impossible I could have received 
a letter as yet, still I am full of sadness and anxiety. . . . 

My thoughts are of you in this quiet little Auteuil, which 
I should like better if we could live in greater solitude ; but 
I must admit that my mother is right, and that it is unfair of 
Paris idlers to come and disturb us at every hour of the day. 
We are overwhelmed with visitors, and we must escape to 
Paris in order to live more to ourselves and with greater 
economy. However strange it may seem, it is nevertheless 
true that I shall not be able to carry out my intended reforms 
until my retm-n home. However, as Charles is benefiting by 
the fine weather and country air, we purpose remaining 
here until October 15th. Then I shall disclose my new regu- 

himsclf married to Mile. Daguesseau. General Philippe de Segur, member of 
the French Academy, died in 1873. 



A VISITOR. 171 

lations, on which I am now hard at work. I am full of ad- 
miration, I assm-e you, for those who undertake to lessen 
abuses in the financial department of a nation ; for, though I 
began only three days ago to wage war on those that have 
crept into my little kingdom, I already feel sick of the com- 
plaints, quarreling, and grumblings that come before me, 
and I am often tempted to wish that I were rich enough to 
let myself be robbed without noticing it. But as this is far 
from being the case, I make up my mind to severity, and am 
becoming a regular Barbe Marbois.* 

1 saw Louis de Yergennes this morning. He begged me 
to ask you to find out whether it is true that the Emperor 
intends to increase the number of his orderlies ; and if so, 
whether it would be possible for you to present an urgent 
application on behalf of his son, who is longing to serve in 
the army, and you can imagine how gladly he would serve 
under the very eyes of his Majesty. If you could obtain this 
favor for him, he would be deeply grateful. 

Yesterday morning, at nine o'clock, who should walk into 
our little salon, booted, curled, and brushed up, but the Min- 
ister of Finance.f He had been riding a fine Arab in the 
Bois de Boulogne, the gift of the Emperor. I wanted him 
to make me a present of his horse, but he could not agree to 
that. He was very pleasant, and promised to find a place for 
M. de Pradine. Alix was rather comforted by his visit ; for 
he still hopes that the King of Prussia may act with com- 
mon-sense, and the Queen with prudence. Many wagers are 
laid among our acquaintances on this subject, but there is 
only one opinion as to our success. 

* Barbe Marbois was Minister of the Treasury. He fell into disgrace with 
the Emperor in this same year (1806). Under the Restoration he was First 
President of the Cour des Comptes. 

f M. Gaudin, the Minister of Finance, retained the costume of the ancien 
regime. He wore his hair powdered d Voiseau royal, and always rode with high 
boots, a three-cornered hat, and an equerry by his side. He was an old friend 
of Mme. de Vergennes. There were, at that period, two financial ministers, one 
of whom was called Minister of the Treasury. 



172 LETTERS OF MADAME DE RtMUSAT. 

If you hear anytliing of M. de Nansoutj, pray let us 
know. His poor wife is very unhappy. Really, we are too 
good as wives, and it is very foolish to be so attached to the 
absent. But why are both of you such kind and good hus- 
bands? I met one yesterday who takes no such pride in 
conjugal fidelity. It was the young Maitre des Requetes. 
He paid us a long visit, and made himself very agreeable ; 
but, between ourselves, I was rather shocked at the double 
meaning of the conversation that took place on the subject 
that is now engrossing him. People make things easier for 
him by pretending only to see the ridiculous side ; but is not 
this excusing the wrongdoing? This world is a strange 
place, and even the best-conducted women — But I will 
not conclude my remark, and I leave it to be finished by 
your upright and conjugal mind. 

Your boys are in good health, Charles was in the salon 
this morning, and his grandmother is enchanted with his 
clever remarks. I am trying to get him to work harder, and 
although he does not like it, I must give him due praise for 
his docility and obedience. There is a sweetness in his dis- 
position which he inherits from I know wJiom, and which I 
hope he will not lose in the world. Adieu ; I hear more 
visitors, and must lay aside my letter. My friends come to 
congratulate me on my return from Cauterets, but I can not 
receive them as gayly as at first ; they should have come 
then, for my joy has not endured, my sorrow has quickly re- 
turned. Such is life. 



LXXXVIII. 

TO M. DE EEMUSAT, AT MAYENCE. 

AtiTEUiL, October 4, 1806. 

... I IMAGINE, as I am writing this, that you are en- 
joying perfect tranquillity, and that the Emperor has already 



"Z^ FAUX BONHOMME:' Yi'^ 

left Mayence. We find it absolutely impossible to believe 
in war; new bets are made every day, and couriers con- 
stantly arrive, whom nobody sees, but of whom every one is 
talking. What I like about Auteuil is that we only get the 
truth here, and are not told of false reports until they have 
been contradicted. Alix has heard from her husband ; he 
has not yet marched, and seems to know nothing, or, perhaps, 
chooses to say nothing ; she goes back to Paris on Saturday. 
Our friends are teasing us to return, but we shall remain 
here until the 15th, and the fine weather and Charles's good 
pleasure shall decide the day of departure. The season is 
still quite beautiful — may it be the same at Mayence ! Take 
advantage of it to walk about ; see a good deal of M. de Tal- 
leyrand, who is such a capital talker, and who promised me 
to take care of you. Enjoy yourself, in fact, as much as you 
can, and in the midst of it all write as often as possible to 
your poor Claire. 

Friday. - 
Everything I have heard since yesterday tends to prove 
you must never again jump out of a carriage when it is go- 
ing fast. M. de Kerkado was killed by so doing; M. de 
Leon * severely hurt ; in fact, I shudder at all the accidents I 
have heard of. Take pity on me and care of yourself, I 
implore you. I saw Mme. de Yannoise and M. Lemercier 
yesterday evening. The latter is greatly occupied with his 
"Faux Bonhomme," and is made anxious by Fleury's ill- 
ness, which continues. Out of regard for him, he will not 
take his part from him, and he does well, for this sustains 
Fleury's hopefulness, which is especially desirable. Con- 
stance de Yannoise seems reconciled to her lot. The bride- 
groom is absent ; she is busy with dresses and finery, and 
thinks marriage all that is pleasant. Mme. de Yannoise, on 

* M. de Leon became afterward Due de Rohan. He was Chamberlain to 
the Emperor, and died in 1816. He was father of that duke who was Cardinal- 
Archbishop of Besan9on, and who died in 1833. 



174 LETTERS OF MADAME DE EJ^MUSAT. 

the contrary, trembles and grieves, and finds the thought of 
separation insupportable.* . . . 

I dined yesterday at the Archchancellor's. Several per- 
sons asked after you in a fashion that Mme. de Sevigne 
describes and says she used not to take the trouble to reply 
to, but left the inquirers to their ignorance and indiffer- 
ence. When you and I are separated, I am so dej)ressed, the 
least trifle hurts me so much, that I carefully avoid speaking 
of you to persons whom I know feel no real interest in us. 
Their coldness would hurt and vex me. But I feel a true 
happiness in meeting friendly people who question me kindly 
about you. I got on capitally yesterday with M. de Lava- 
lette, who seems to like you ; we had a good deal of conversa- 
tion during the long dinner at the Archchancellor's. I begged 
him to come and see me, and I hope he will ; I think him 
most agreeable. . . . 

How bright my mother is ! how delightful I find her 
companionship in daily life ! The more I know of the 
world, the more do I admire her character, her evenness of 
temper, her sweet reasonableness, and unquenchable gayety. 
Latterly she has been, as well as I, anxious about your health ; 
but, when she sees me in tears, she forgets herself in order 
to cheer me, and makes me laugh. I revealed a great truth 
to her yesterday, viz., that I love her more and more every 
day. Marriage is a critical moment for mothers and daugh- 
ters. All the new blessings that then become ours, the dis- 
appointment which comes from maternal jealousy, the readi- 
ness of husbands to spoil us at first — all contribute to dis- 
turbance, to separation^ to draw us apart, and at such a mo- 
ment it is almost impossible that the mother should not be 
a little unjust, and the best of daughters a little ungrateful. 
But if both are really kind-hearted and loving, time effaces the 
little grievances caused or excused by excessive affection. 
The young wife advances on her life-journey, she looks around 

* This marriage did not take place. 



''LES borages:' 175 

her, she encounters disappointment, she needs a true friend, 
and in whom can she find one if not in her mother ? Thns 
the difficulty ought to end, oftener than it does, with a little 
indulgence on the one side and some gratitude on the other. 
. . . But I am interrupted ! Crescentini * wants to see me. 

Monday. 

I was not able to resume my letter all yesterday. After 
receiving Crescentini, whom I thought changed in appear- 
ance, we went to Paris to see " Les Horaces." 1 was much 
pleased, first with Corneille, who is an old love of mine, and 
then with Leclerc,f the new actor. He played the father 
with spirit and dignity, copying Saint-Prix a little too much, 
perhaps, but he uttered the famous " qu'il mourut " in such 
a way as to produce a great sensation, and was immensely 
applauded. Your nephew tells me that he is rejected by 
the Comedie ; this is a pity, I think. M. Saint-Eugene 
seemed to me very second-rate. Mile. Georges has improved, 
I think, and Mile. Duchesnois acted well as Camille, with the 
exception of a little drawling occasionally. On the whole, 
it was a fine performance ; I even think that the study of 
comedy that Lafond has been obliged to make has dimin- 
ished the heaviness of his style. I should not have ventured 
to rely on my own judgment in this, because " au des mon- 
tagnes ou 71'' est pas difficile " ; but this is your son^s opinion, 
so there is nothing more to be said. 

After the performance, we returned to our little hermit- 
age, and this morning Charles and I have taken a long walk. 
We began by going through the Bois de Boulogne as far as 

* Gh'olamo Crescentini was the Italian singer whom the Emperor detained in 
Paris, by force, from 1806 to 1812. He was a soprano after the fashion of the 
day. He was born in 1*769, and died at Naples in 1846. 

\ Leclerc was, at the beginning of the present century, a somewhat successful 
actor at the Theatre Fran9ais, though his style was rather monotonous. He 
succeeded especially in the role of the elder Horace, and in that of Mithridates. 
Saint-Eugene, who played Curiacc, has left no great reputation. Lafond played 
the younger Horace. 



176 LETTERS OF MADAME DE REMUS AT 

Boulogne itself, and thence we took the St. Cloud road and 
the Point dii Jour, and returned to Auteuil by the Avenue 
de Paris. We had great conversation all the time. Your 
boy asked me questions about the Revolution, and especially 
about the Emperor. I told him the story of the Italian cam- 
paign, of the campaign in Egypt, of the Emperor's return 
to France, of his wars and victories. He was deeply inter- 
ested, and when I had ended, he said, " Mamma, that is like 
one of ' Plutarch's Lives.' " I advised him to work hard, 
so as to be able to write it when grown up, and he was 
delighted at thei idea. 

Adieu. I will end my letter with your son's words ; I 
could not improve upon them. 



XC. 

TO M. DE EEMUSAT, AT MATENCE. 

Paeis, Odoher 16, 1S06. 

I LEFT Auteuil yesterday morning, and am alone in our 
apartment, which recalls your presence so vividly, and re- 
news the keen pain of our too frequent separation. "While 
establishing myself in my room and putting everything in 
order, I came across your letters, and set about arranging 
them. It pained me to read over those of last year. Alas ! 
mon ami, it was the same state of things, the same distance 
between us, the same anxieties. All these are now renewed, 
and it is thus that we pass our life. Just then the courier 
arrived with your letter, which, like all I receive from you, 
is kind and loving ; it moved me, but not so painfully as 
those I was reading again, and I said to myself, " It is also 
the same affection." Eetain all those feelings which are so 
necessary to my happiness, and which are infinitely precious 
to me. The great events of which we are spectators make 
time fly so swiftly, that we possess, as it were, a premature 



STUDIES. 177 

experience that ages us beyond our years. "We have there- 
fore lost taste for all the frivolous amusements of the Tvorld, 
which tm*n us aside, without any real solace, from the cares 
by which we are harassed, and it is, in truth, in the affec- 
tions of the heart only that we can find consolation and 
happiness. These are my sentiments, 7no7i ami. The new 
sorrows of the present year, your absence, and Alix's discour- 
agement, grieve and absorb me, so that I feel little inclination 
for society, and, urdess winter brings some change in things, 
I foresee that ray life will be one of seclusion. Charles will 
be the gainer, and I promise you he shall work hard ; it shall 
not be my fault if his progress in Latin and Greek does not 
surpass yours in German. I am bestirring myseK for fear 
that when you return, quite proud of your new accomplish- 
ment, you may want to impart it to your son. But I warn 
you that I will have nothing to do with German ; it is quite 
enough for me to bewilder my brains over crabbed Greek 
characters, without toiling over an inharmonious, wretched, 
Teutonic language that I do not care about in the least. 

Meanwhile, before seriously resuming our lessons, I am 
going this morning with Charles to Sannois, and intend re- 
maining there until Sunday. Mme. d'Houdetot insisted 
upon this, and mamma thought I had better take Charles 
with me. Gustave is going on as well as possible.* Dubois 
says that his leg was properly set ; he is not feverish, will 
not be lame ; it is as favorable a fracture as can be, but he 
must remain lying on his back, without stirring, for a month, 
and this enforced inaction, for him especially, is a real ill- 
ness. It will be a great privation for Charles to be separated 
fi'om his friend, and, in order to make up for it, I am going 
to make him acquainted with the Piincess de Carignan's son. 
He is educated at his mother's house, passes the day in the 
house, and I should rather hke him as a companion for my 
boy, more especially as his tutor is said to be an estimable 
man. 

* Gustave de Gmsse had broken his le<r at Auteuil. 



178 LETTERS OF MADAME DE REMUSAT. 

On arriving here I heard that Mme. de Souza is so seri- 
ously ill as to cause some anxiety to her friends. Her hus- 
band is at the Hague, but is coming here. He has given up 
Portugal, and intends setthng in Paris. All the old bache- 
lors in the neighborhood are delighted, and Bertrand will be 
quite at home. He begs me to give you his kindest remem- 
brances. The stir and animation abroad only increase his 
love of quiet, and he sticks to his arm-chair more than ever. 
He is the only person I have seen as yet, and I expect he 
will be our most constant guest. All the others have taken 
flight. Cousin Pasquier is engrossed by his Jews and his 
commissions, and now that he can only give us a divided at- 
tention, we will have nothing more to say to him. Poor 
l^orvins has gone, as you know. You will see him probably, 
and hear his adventures ; he enters the army at thirty-nine, 
gives up his family, his friends, and all his habits, and is not 
sure, after all, that he is doing a wise thing. I told him he 
would come back to us a cure ! ITotwithstanding my little 
jest, our parting was pathetic ; he was greatly moved on tak- 
ing leave of us. His future plans are as heretofore ; he 
wanted to manifest his zeal, but does not intend to remain 
always in the army. He begged that you would name him 
to the Empress, and hopes to have the honor of being pre- 
sented to her at Mayence. 



XCI. 

TO M. DE EEMU8AT, AT MAYENCE. 

Paris, Friday, October 26, 1806. 

I WEOTE to you twice in the course of yesterday, mon 
ami / both my letters will, no doubt, give you pain, but I 
could not measure my words at first.* I feel quite as much 

* Letters were constantly lost on the way, and this caused confusion, annoy- 
ance, complaints, and suspicions. I have omitted most of those in which these 



REPROACHES. 170 

hurt to day, perhaps even more so, hut I am less excited, and 
will curtail my reproaches. Besides, it is impossible that you 
should not be conscious of the pain you have inflicted, and if 
absence has not changed him I love, I am sure that regret 
will soon follow on the injury he has done me. Oh ! my be- 
loved, remember that in such a union as ours, which time 
only serves to draw closer, the slightest appearance of doubt 
must wound the sensitiveness inseparable from such an affec- 
tion as mine for you. After passing ten years and more with 
no other thought than you, with your image present in all 
my life's memories, and in all its future hoj^es, how can I 
endure the suspicions revealed by your cruel words ? Were 
I in your place I should, no doubt, be anxious too, but in a 
different way, and I should express my anxiety differently. 
Whatever my sufferings, I could never insult those I love 
and esteem, and it is thus that yon should love me ; nay, I 
will even say it is thus that I deserve to be loved. Forgive 
me for returning to the subject, but I suffered so terribly 
yesterday ! To-day I have a grief which is entirely my own ; 
for I have to complain of you, whom I love exclusively, and 
whom I fondly thought superior to all the weakness of or- 
dinary men. But I see that occasionally you are all alike, 
and I am daily more and more convinced that your absence 
is my greatest misfortune, and your presence, cruel one, the 
greatest joy of my life. 

I am sending this to-day through M. de Talleyrand ; to- 
morrow I shall wi'ite by Deschamps. I shall try every 2)os- 
sible means, and then, if my letters are lost, I shall leave 
house and children and come to you, for I can not endure the 
idea of your uneasiness. I suppose that, like last year, my 
letters are sent to headquarters, and yet M. de Lavalette 

feelings are expressed on mistaken grounds and are disclaimed in the next. I 
also suppress or shorten those that are only a repetition of letters that are 
thought to be lost. The reproaches contained in this one are in reply to com- 
plaints that would certainly have been very unjust had nothing been lost or de- 
layed. 



180 LETTERS OF MADAME DE REMU8AT. 

assures me that orders have been given at Majence for open- 
ing the bags there and carefully sorting the letters. And 
yet you receive none, and you are alarmed and you accuse 
me, and I sympathize with your grief, which I feel keenly, 
and suffer from your injustice ! What a life it is ! So full 
of troubles and difficulties, when it might be passed so peace- 
fully ! I feel weary and worn out with mine ! And then to 
the secret sorrow which you inflict are added a thousand 
alarms about the military engagements that have taken place 
since the 14th,* of which we know nothing. I am sur- 
rounded by weeping mothers, sisters, kinswomen. Alix has 
not had one moment's peace, and one dares not give way to 
joy and admiration of all these miraculous victories without 
knowing at what price they have been bought. I was told 
yesterday that Aimery de Fezensac is wounded. But as this 
report has not been as yet corroborated, it has been kept from 
the two mothers. Philippe de Segur was wounded, but he 
writes the news himself, and this shows that his wounds 
must be slight. We hear nothing of my brother-in-law, and 
we ought to look upon silence as good news, if one were 
guided by reason on subjects so near and dear. But reason, 
mon ami^ is seldom made use of by anxious hearts, and you 
who used to pride yourself on it, even you — But I have 
finished with that subject, and will say no more. 



XCII. 

TO M. DE EEMUSAT, AT MAYENCE. 

Paeis, October 27, 1806. 
I MUST still be sad and anxious until I know you have 
received my letters and are at ease about me and Charles. It 
will not be my fault if none reach Mayence. I send them in 

* The battle of Jena had been won on October 14th, but no particulars had as 
yet reached Paris. 



THE BULLETINS. 181 

every possible way. From what M. de Lavalette tells me, it 
is at Mayenee itself that the mischief lies ; you might there- 
fore prevent it, probably, and spare yourself anxiety and me 
real misery. But let us drop the subject ; by the time you 
receive this all misunderstanding will be over. 

The arrival of the bulletins quite made up for the long 
silence that had given rise to many gloomy conjectures. 
They are as fine pages of history as have ever been written 
in any, and that will efface all former achievements. I have 
also seen several private letters giving miraculous accounts 
of personal deeds. Such daring, although sometimes rash, is 
always fortunate, and such coolness in the midst of danger, 
such wise forethought, such prompt determination, evoke 
feelings of admiration which seem as though they could 
never be surpassed, and yet are continually renewed. The 
bulletins were read out at the theatres and produced a great 
sensation. Talma read them at the Frangais. He read very 
well, simply and quickly; for, the principal events once 
known, the public does not care for military details, or posi- 
tions in a country they scarcely know. The effect was not 
so good at Feydeau. Chesnard * read pompously ; he put on 
an affected voice, and made it more affected when he came 
to the list of the killed. As he was naming the colonels, 
some lady, either" a relation or a friend of one of them, 
uttered a loud shriek and swooned away. This caused a 
kind of consternation in the house and spoiled the effect. It 
has been decided, therefore, that in future only extracts from 
the bulletins shall be read at the theatres, and never the list 
of the killed. 

More wagers are being laid as to peace or war. People 
must always, as you know, be betting about something. 
The Emperor's return is spoken of with hope and desire, but 
I, mon ami, can only be silent when I hear of rumors which, 

* An actor of the Opera Comique, who came out in 1782, in the part of Julien 
in "Colinette 5. la Court." He was a fine musician, with a good bass voice. 



182 LETTERS OF MADAME BE EEMU8AT. 

if confirmed, would make me happy in so many different 
ways. 

I do not know whether the letters in which I told you of 
my visit to Sannois have reached you. I stayed there three 
days. Mme. d'Houdetot was unwell, and she is now suffer- 
ing from tertian ague, which, together with depression natu- 
ral at her great age, has much reduced her. She is still 
young in mind and heart, and, notwithstanding all she has 
lost, clings fondly to life. " My regrets," she said to me, 
" are memories which embellish my life even now." This is 
certainly looking on the bright side of things. 

If you care to hear about your theatre, I may tell you 
that it seems well attended, in spite of the war and of the 
emptiness of Paris. Lafond is an attraction ; he has just 
been acting the " Misanthrope," rather badly in my opinion. 
There was something of spitefulness in his anger against 
mankind that does not belong to the part, and a flavor of 
melodrama in his passion which, although always acceptable 
to the public, is unworthy of Moliere. I thought him very 
superior in the "Femmes Savantes"; his natural talents 
require to be wisely directed. It has been said that MUe. 
Georges intends to leave the theatre, I do not know why. 



XCIII. 

TO M. DE EEMUSAT, AT MAYENCE. 

Paris, Tuesday, October 28, 1806. 
Fkedeeick * will hand you this letter on his way through 
Mayence. He is starting for Prussia — got his orders and 
had to be ready in twenty-four hours. Is there not some- 

* M. Frederick d'Houdetot was the son of General d'Houdetot by his first 
marriage, and grandson of the lady so frequently mentioned in the Letters. He 
was successively Prefect of Ghent and of Brussels, and peer of France, and was 
a deputy under the Second Empire. He died without children. 



SOCIAL CHANGES. 183 

thing amusing in this spirit of rushing about that has seized 
upon everybody ? Amusing, however, is not the right word, 
for it will be sad enough for the many who are left behind. 
You will also, perhaps, see M. de Tournon. He came to ask 
me if I had anything to send by him ; but I preferred M. 
d'PIoudetot, This certainty I do not like to miss. . . . 

So you have given up your Electoral College ? We can 
not understand here how you could do so without permission. 
My mother feels sure that you have made a mistake, and 
that probably you omitted writing to Tranche Comte to keep 
your claims in remembrance there. Who takes your place ? 
M. Clement de Ris * asked me this question one day. So 
you have seen Norvins ? What do you think of his wild 
proceeding? Is it not absurd to enter the army at close 
upon forty, in order to obtain a place in the Government 
or the magistracy, for which he pressed with unshrinking 
urgency ? , , . 

You see how our circle is gradually thinning. We shall 
scarcely have any one left but M. de Nouy, who was here 
this evening, and who is pleasant enough, only that he is so 
deaf that he hears nothing, and can not talk, on account of 
his asthma, Bertrand will not join, I fancy, but Mme. de 
Souza and the economical household absorb him entirely. 
Gallois is lost to us, and never stirs from a certain fireside 
that you know. Abbe Morellet is growing old, M, Pas- 
quier can seldom escape from the cares of State, which re- 
quire his attention, and from his surroundings ; and our salon 
is deserted, which does not grieve me much. But even were 
I more dull than I am, I should think it natural to look for 
happiness first, and then for pleasure, from your ever-longed- 
for return. We are told to hope for it soon, I can not be- 
lieve it, and am much more disposed to fear that you, too, 
Avill be summoned to Prussia, This would be additional 
sorrow for me, and I dare not dwell on it. , . , 

* M. Clement de Ris was a senator. He was subsequently peer of France, 
and died in 1827. 



184 LETTERS OF MADAME DE R£)MUSAT. 

XCIV. 

TO M. DE EEMU8AT, AT MAYENCE. 

Paris, November 1, 1806. 

Hon ami, I have seen your tailor, wlio says it will take a 
week to embroider the coat, and, however I may hurry him, 
I do not think we can get it sooner ; but I will do my very 
best. It will be too bad if you have to set out for Prussia ; 
however, I should apply to M. de Lavalette, who would know 
where to send it to you. But can you not see my face as I 
write the words, ^'■If you have to set out for Prussia ! " I 
confess that I am upset at the idea. Distance ought to be 
indifferent when once we are parted. But, in truth, it is an 
aggravation of absence, and the difficulties of correspondence 
alone are enough to make me apprehensive of the moment 
that removes you still farther from me. Heaven grant the 
speedy return of the Emperor, and that my own private hap- 
piness may unite with the general rejoicings ! I have heard 
of you in a letter I received from !Norvins. He gives an 
amusing account of the confusion produced by the clashing 
of divers opinions in his corps, and of his regret at this loss 
of time, while the Emperor is swiftly marching from victory 
to victory. If he is still at Mayence, pray remember me to 
him. I do not know whether I ought to write to him, for I 
can not tell where to address my letter. I have just read a 
clever and interesting one from Eugene de Montesquiou.* 
He relates his journey to Jena the day before the battle. 
Having bpen sent to Prince Hohenlohe, he was detained on 
various pretexts, and could not succeed in reaching the King. 
On the morning of the great battle the King sent to say he 
could not receive him until it was over. Thus he remained 
an inactive but agitated spectator of the engagement. Gen- 

* M. Eugene de Montesquieu was a cousin of Aimery de Montesquiou- 
Fezensac. 



THE PRINCE OF WTJRTEMBURG. 185 

eral Blucher ostentatiously gave orders in his hearing that no 
Frenchman was to be suffered to escape in the rout that was 
thought to be inevitable. Toward evening the Prince of 
Wiirtemberg arrived at headquarters with the fugitives from 
the field of battle. He was so ignorant of the state of things, 
and so calm, that he was intending to take medicine that night. 
Eugene was just in time to tell him that the effect of the 
dose would probably be greatly interfered with. His life 
was afterward in great danger. Some Prussian soldiers, an- 
gered at their defeat, wanted to kill him, and an officer with 
great difficulty saved his life. Finally, he was allowed to 
return to our headquarters, having lost his suite and his 
horses. On his way he came up with two Frenchmen, and 
shortly afterward with eighteen Prussian stragglers, whom 
the three took prisoners, and marched to the camp in tri- 
umph. He says the Emperor was amused at his adventures, 
and laughed very much at his capture of prisoners. If you 
already know the story, I have told it unnecessarily ; but I 
thought it too good to lose. 

We have no direct news from my brother-in-law, but the 
silence of the " Moniteur " is comforting. Aimery, too, does 
not write ; however, he is known to be in good health and 
about to get his lieutenancy. Charles de Flahault wrote to 
this effect. Thus, all the mothers and wives of my acquaint- 
ance are tolerably tranquil at present. I saw M. de Tascher, 
the senator, yesterday ; * he seemed very anxious about his 
son, of whom he has heard nothing. He is sub-lieutenant in 
General Soult's division. Perhaps if Deschamps were to 
write a line as if from the Empress, he might get an answer. 
I was touched by the poor father's affection and solicitude 
for his son. . . . 

Mme. Simons f is waiting for your permission for the 

* A kinsman of the Empress. His son was a peer of France. 

f Mme. Simons-Candeille, a daughter of Candeille, a former singer and com- 
poser of operas, was born in 176'7. After coming out at the Opera, she became 
societaire of the Comedie Fran9aise, which she soon quitted in order to act in 



186 LETTERS OF MADAME DE REM U SAT. 

Frangais to join the other theatres in a performance for the 
benefit of her father. She has ah-eadj M. de Lugay's per- 
mission for the Salle Favart and Duport. "Manlius" is to 
be the play, bnt Talma is waiting for orders from you. Do 
not delay. 



XCY. 

TO M. DE EEMUSAT, AT MAYENCE. 

Paris, November 2, 1S06. 

We have just received the news of the Emperor's arrival 
at Berlin,* and Alix has at last got a letter from her hus- 
band, written from Potsdam. There is something very re- 
markable in the marvelous good fortune of the Emperor, 
which is so constant to him both in great and little things. 
It is said he arrived at Potsdam on the same day as that on 
which, a year before, the Emperor of Pussia had arrived 
there, and it is no small thing, nor unworthy of record, that 
both should have slept within the same year in Frederick's 
palace. We hear that there are rumors of peace in the army. 
It is also reported here. What is thought at Mayence ? . . . 



XCVI. 

TO M. DE EEMUSAT, AT MAYENCE. 

Paris, November 5, 1S06. 

I AM very sorry to hear what you say about the war. We 
simple folks had imagined that one lesson would have been 

plays written by herself — " La Belle Fermiure " among others, which had a 
great success. She was divorced from her first husband, and subsequently mar- 
ried M. Simons, a Belgian merchant, who had come to Paris expressly to prevent 
his son from marrying an actress, a Mile. Lange. She died in 1834. 
* On October 27, 1806. 



FORTNIGHTLY RECEPTIONS. 187 

cnongli for the King of Prussia, and that he would have 
wanted to make peace. Now we must resolve upon fresh 
victories ; but my heart is heavy when I think of the Em- 
peror penetrating farther into distant countries, and bearing 
with him the fate of us alL Besides this, what sad separa- 
tions must be entailed by the continuance of war, and how 
slowly time will drag along away from you, although life 
will be passing none the less swiftly ! You are not a sol- 
dier ; your desires are moderate ; your tastes are for civil 
and family life ; and yet for five months of this year, and for 
seven of last year, we have been parted, and I have never 
been able to accustom myself to the solitude of heart in 
which your absence leaves me. I think I could feel more 
resigned if I were the wife of a general. At any rate, I 
could not reasonably object to the kind of life I lead. Yes- 
terday w^as Charles's fete day. I shed tears when I gave him 
my blessing ; it seemed incomplete without yours, which has 
twice been wanting on this anniversary. 

Mon ami^ my sorrow is renewed every moment. Alone 
or in society, at home or abroad, you are always present to 
my mind, and, alas ! I find you nowhere. Whether I am 
grieving or enjoying myself, I feel that I want to share every 
thought with you. To-day, for instance, I have longed for 
you all day. My mother and I have decided on giving no 
dinners during the month, but every fortnight we shall in- 
vite about a dozen persons to spend the evening. On this 
occasion we have had Mme. de Yintimille, MM. Lavalette, 
Pasquier, Dorion,* Mole, Morellet, Bertrand, and Desfau- 
cherets. There was some good talk ; my mother was in un- 
usually good spirits, quite animated and brilliant ; conversa- 
tion did not flag for a moment. I must tell you that M. de 
Lavalette made himself most agreeable, and that he is quite 
an acquisition. There is delicacy in his wit, modesty in his 
speech, and straightforwardness in his manner that make him 

* M. Doriou wrote two poems, " La Bataille d'Hastings " and " La Chute de 
Palrayre." 



188 LETTERS OF MADAME DE R^MUSAT. 

very prepossessing. I was wishing for you among all these 
pleasant people, and you would have enjoyed the conversa- 
tion. I could not help thinking, when it was most animated, 
of a curious feature of our social life. At this moment a 
number of our fellow-creatures are wearing themselves out 
in marching and watching, or are fighting unto death, to pro- 
cure for us an opportunity of talking idly at our firesides 
about all the trifles to which we choose to attach importance. 
I was struck by the mobility of our impressions and the 
strange incoherence of our ideas. At first we were all de- 
pressed by the news of the jDrolongation of the war ; its pos- 
sible chances filled us with alarm ; but by degrees these feel- 
ings wore off, and presently, in pursuit of I know not what 
ideas, we were far away from war and politics, and entirely 
engrossed in fine-spun dissertations on sentiments and 
thoughts that one would have imagined could only have 
been interesting in times of profound peace and entire ex- 
emption from real trouble. 

We have heard from Aimery ; he is well. M. de Nan- 
souty has written also ; he says he is in a state of stupefac- 
tion at the total disappearance of an army so fair to the eye, 
and that he thought so excellent. You remember his old 
admiration for Prussian cavalry, and you can imagine his 
satisfaction at having defeated it. His wife is now going to 
be miserable again, after having been tolerably at ease. 
Glory is a poor solace for heartache, and the tears of women 
record the triumphs of masculine pride. 

If you have nothing to do, tell us which suffers most 
from ennui^ a clever man, a fool, or a brute ? We could 
arrive at no conclusion this evening on the subject. 



PARIS ILLUMINATED. I39 

XCYII. 

TO M. DE KEIIUSAT, AT MAYENCE. 

Paris, November 9, 1806. 

I AM at my sister's, mo7i ami, and sitting by a good fire, 
with my desk on my knees, near a little table in a little 
green room that you know. While I write, Alix is singing, 
and her sweet voice blends with the emotion that always fills 
my soul when I am thus communing with you. . . . 

Paris is illuminated. The Te Deum was sung this morn- 
ing. Alix was warmly congratulated yesterday at the 
Archchancellor's, and Princess Caroline was good enough 
to send her word that the Grand Duke of Berg speaks 
highly of her husband. This is the reward of some of her 
tears, if, indeed, there can be any compensation for the ab- 
sence of one we love, except his return. Is it true the Em- 
press is coming back, and, if true, what does it mean ? 
This is the question, and people draw from it either good 
or evil augui'ies, according as they are most inclined to fear 
or hope. In any case, it seems to me she would do well not 
to desert Paris. Her presence would restore a little life, 
and do away with the prevalent discontent. 

Your reflections on the wonders of this last campaign 
seem very just. There is something in the Emperor's for- 
tune that confounds ordinary ideas, and is, so to speak, 
above them. One feels carried away and almost stunned ; 
and yet he seems to be raised so far above circumstances 
that one has no right to be terrified at the dangers to which 
he exposes himself, and still less to fix the limit at which he 
should stop. Yet it makes one's heart heavy to think of the 
terrible distance which now separates him from us. May 
God be with him, and preserve him to us ! This is my con- 
stant prayer. 

Wliile he, witli the finest part of the French nation, is 



190 LETTERS OF MADAME BE REMUS AT. 

marching onward to glorj, we are vegetating liere in great 
monotony. There is very little going on ; people are living 
to themselves and giving no invitations. My mother and I 
go out very little, but are always " at home " on Mondays 
and Fridays. Our friends, knowing this, come to us on those 
days, and we have pleasant talks until ten o'clock, or eleven 
at latest, when every one retires to rest. Mme. de Yinti- 
mille, who is very attentive to us this year, seldom fails to 
come, and makes herself very agreeable. M. Pasquier is her 
faithful attendant, and ours too. He starts our subjects, dis- 
cusses, and decides them. Lemercier refines and sometimes 
obscures ; my mother contributes her charming humor ; Ber- 
trand and the Abbe condemn them for the most part as twad- 
dle, all the more so as this year, I don't know why, we seem 
to turn naturally to sentimental questions. For instance, we 
were discussing the day before yesterday which should have 
the preeminence in love — the man or woman who sees faults 
in the beloved but loves on, or he who is so blind as to take 
faults for qualities ? If you have nothing to do, send us 
your opinion, and also some houts rimes. By the by, what 
are you doing with your own talents ? How is your German 
getting on ? . . . 



xcviir. 

TO M. DE EEMUSAT, AT MAYENCE, 

Paris, November 10, 1806. 
We have heard report here that Magdeburg * has been 
taken, and we are expecting official news. We know nothing 
about the armies, and imagine nothing for ourselves ; the 
general inertia which seems to extend even to our thoughts. 
I think that the German campaign of last year was more 

* Magdeburg was taken on November 8th. The Emperor had been at Berlin 
from October 27th. 



E0GEET8 DUEL. 191 

stirring, thougli less miraculous, than tliis one. It is true 
that the Emperor has accustomed us to wonders. On sjDeak- 
ing of this to Fontanes a few days ago, I asked him what he 
would contrive to say this time on the Emperor's return, and 
he owned that he did not think he should be able to find 
words worthy of such great deeds. " History," he said, " can 
show us nothing like them ; it is no longer possible to read it." 
I do not agree with him on the latter point, and I confess 
that, I consider it, on the contrary, the most useful reading of 
the day. Thanks to your son, I am going through a course 
of ancient history again, and I make numberless compari- 
sons, which are interesting and at the same time instructive. 
Only it- seems to me that we of the present century are, as 
it were, in the secret of things, and that in searching into 
past times we are like those persons who, instead of remain- 
ing in the pit, look at the play from behind the scenes. We 
are nearer ; we see the machinery, and we do but admire the 
more, because we must needs, in a nation like ours, make 
use of some that is considerably rusty. But I must pause, 
for my subject would lead me far, and I should probably 
lose my way. 

To return to our own circle. I don't know whether the 
story of Hochet's duel has reached you. He took it into his 
head to say * in a feuilleton that Chazet made a trade of his 
talents, and, in fact, it is asserted that he lends his name to 
young writers for a consideration. ' Chazet asked Hochet for 
an explanation ; they fought, and Chazet received a wound 
in the chest. He has been spitting blood since. This affair 
has greatly raised Hochet in the estimation of society ; but 
I, who am at times, as you know, a reasonable and reasoning 
being — I can only regard Hochet as a writer who did not 
confine himself to purely literary subjects in his feuilletons, 

* M. Hochet, a very agreeable man of letters, was a friend of Mme. de 
Stael's. Ho died at eighty-six or eighty-seven years of age, in 185*7. His adver- 
sary in the duel was Alissan de Chazet, a well-known writer, then and subse- 
quently, of vaudevilles, and a collaborateur v/ith Desangiers. 



192 LETTERS OF MADAME RE BEMUSAT. 

as lie should have done. Some of the Abbe Morellet's 
friends want him to follow Hochet's example, and to send a 
challenge to Geoffroy ; but our Abbe's eighty winters dis- 
pense him from this new style of literary discussion. By the 
way, he is much changed this winter. Old age has come 
upon him at last. He is dull and drowsy ; sometimes of an 
evening Cousin Pasquier's voice rouses him for a moment, 
but he is not strong enough for argument, and sinks back 
grumbling into his arm-chair. . . . 



XCIX. 

TO M. DE EEMUSAT, AT MAYENCE. 

Paris, Saturday, November 15, 1806. 

Theee is a great discussion going on at the Academy 
just now. Maury, who, as you know, is to pi'onounce the 
panegyric on Target, insists on being addressed as Monseig- 
neur in the reply. The matter makes a great stir. Some 
say it is against the custom, and that the republic of letters 
must be maintained. The Cardinal declares he will not pat 
his foot in the academic temple unless he is addressed by his 
title. The amusing part is that D'Alembert formerly wrote 
a grand letter in support of that very equality, and that it is 
the philosophers who contend for the Monseigneur against 
the Cheniers, Eegnaults, etc. The question is to be referred 
to the Emperor, and in the midst of all his war triumphs 
he will be appealed to on this important point. Yanitas ! 
But, as you know, vanity is to be found everywhere, even in 
Christian humility, from which, however, our modern pre- 
lates hold themselves discreetly aloof ."^ 

How good it is of you to speak as you do of our boy, and 
of my care of him ! I replace you as well as I can, but he is 

* This discussion is related with fuller details in the Memoirs. 



TSE TWO SONS. 193 

advancing, and I am no longer sufficient ; he requires a mas- 
culine hand over him. He is making some progress, and I 
am taking pains with him, but do not think that I help him 
so much as I did a year ago. I am quite convinced it is 
necessary that he should learn to depend on himself, and he 
now studies alone much more. Only I watch him to see that 
he works, and keep him in my room, where I know that he 
wastes no time. As for the taking up of my own, how could 
it be better employed ? What other object should I have in 
life? Kousseau says somewhere that when women have 
become mothers they should forbid themselves the taste for 
study, and, laying all theories aside, regulate the employment 
of the day solely with relation to the education of their 
children. I am very far indeed from such perfection, for I 
have many hours to myself, and waste them on the frivolous 
occupations habitual to us women. Albert is growing 
strong ; he talks away, in a language which he has invented 
for himself, and which is only understood by a select few. 
His deafness is against him ; but I feel sure it will disappear 
when he gets rid of the eruption, which is so trying to him, 
and I wait patiently for this. He has a sweet disposition, so 
affectionate and gentle. Both little fellows are made of 
right good stuff. 

To prove to you, however, that I still find time for seri- 
ous reading, I must tell you that hearing Montesquieu con- 
stantly quoted in our circle, I looked for his works, and the 
first time I opened them I came upon the following phrase, 
which seems to me of good omen: "A conquest may 
destroy injurious prejudices, and place, if I may venture to 
say so, a nation under a better genius." I can say nothing 
better than this. When you are at home, if you have time, 
I will read Montesquieu again with you. You can explain 
many things to me, and that will please me much. 
9 



194 LETTERS OF MADAME DE REMUS AT. 



c. 



TO M. DE EEMUSAT, AT MAYENCE. 

Paris, November IS, 1S06. 

The quarrel at tlie Academy is still going on. Cardinal 
Manry sticks to his Monseigneur out of respect to his office, 
and there is hot discussion. Would you believe that some 
persons are so unreasonable as to want to compel him to 
wear the green coat instead of his cardinal's robes? This 
absurdity has made a sensation which will scarcely surprise 
you, knowing as you do our French ardor about trifles. It 
is really surprising how we let great and important things 
slide, and excite ourselves about nothing at all. I am often 
reminded of Alcibiades's dog's tail, only just now it would 
serve not to amuse, but to wake us up. For want of some- 
thing better to say, I may tell you that Lemercier read his 
comedy, " Le Faux Bonhomme," to us two days ago. Fleury's 
illness delays its performance. Mme. de Yintimille, who 
was eager to hear it, had begged that favor of the author, 
and he read before a select circle, who pretended to be 
pleased, but were, as usual, very dissatisfied. There are 
none of his favorite eccentricities in this last production, but 
there is a decided want of strength and action, half-drawn 
characters, tasteless lines ; and yet, with all these defects, 
there are a few pretty portraits, some clever observations on 
society, and some well-arranged scenes. This is my opinion, 
but keep it to yourself. He read it admirably. You know 
how he reads ; it is a pleasure to hear him. Meanw^hile 
Lafond has taken possession of the stage and draws good 
houses. He succeeded admirably in " La Metromanie." I 
was quite delighted with it, and remembered that you had 
predicted a success in that 7'dle for him. This recollection 
was with me all the evening. I welcome all such ; they 
brighten and comfort my loneliness. I can not say that they 
make it gay, for I always end by weeping in secret. Your 



NAPOLEON AND POLAND. 195 

tripot is not doing badly ; it is not deserted, and, notwith- 
standing the emptiness of Paris and the war, it is better 
attended than last year. The princesses are said to be recon- 
ciled. Things were rather serious for a moment ; Mile. Con- 
tat seems to have made up her mind to remain. 

I much wish to know whether you have heard from M. 
de Talleyrand, and what is to become of you. We hear all 
sorts of contradictory reports. The Emperor, it is said, 
after settling the army in winter quarters, will return to 
Paris, to ascertain for himself how all is going on, and, after 
a short stay, will again leave us. A King of Poland is also 
mentioned. Now he is Prince Jerome ; again, the Elector 
of Saxony or Prince Charles. Yesterday it was reported 
that the Queen of Prussia had poisoned herself in despair, 
etc. Such are the rumors in Paris. The details given in 
to-day's bulletins are very remarkable. It looks to me as if 
thei'e were no more Prussians to fear, and that they have 
paid dearly for their imprudence. M. Mole has received 
a most comical letter from Frederick Houdetot. He writes 
from Berlin, where he had been for five days at tlie date of 
his letter, and had not been able to see anybody. The min- 
isters have not yet received him. He is staying at an inn, 
not knowing what he is to do, frozen, solitary, and so igno- 
rant of what is going on, that he begs we will keep some 
" Moniteurs " for him, so that he may be able at a future day 
to fill up the hiatus. He says that Berlin presents a most 
peaceable appearance, and that his journey seems to him like 
a dream. Meanwhile, his cousin here is immersed in the 
pleasures of contentiousness. . . . 

Novemhei' 18th. 

I reopen my letter to say that M. Pasquier has just come 
to tell me that the Archchancellor wrote to the Emperor to 
ask for auditors. They are to be appointed. Your nephew 
is anxious to be one of them. If you can write to the Arch- 
chancellor, it must be done immediately. I would place the 
letter in his hands. 



196 LETTERS OF MADAME LE REMU8AT. 

Just as I was closing tliis, Charles brought nie in a letter 
for you. He wrote it quite by himself, and it is very clever. 
I am really sorry not to send it to you, but I fear it might get 
lost, and the child has innocently entered into certain domes- 
tic details that I should not like to be made known. But as 
I do not like to disappoint him by saying I can not send it, 
will you answer him as if you had received it, and tell him 
that you are obliged for the news he gives you concerning 
all of us ; that you are very glad Halma is pleased with him ; 
that his Latin quotations are good, and his judgment of 
Philip, King of Macedonia, correct — for he tells you he has 
just been reading the life of that king in Eollin's History. 
I will keep his letter for you ; my maternal vanity is de- 
lighted with it. In all respects there could not be a more 
charming child. . . . 



CI. 



TO M. DE KEMUSAT, AT MAYENCE. 

Paris, Novemher 20, 1806. 
FoK the last few days it has been rumored that their 
Majesties are returning, and that the army is settled in win- 
ter quarters in the IN^orth. How I hope it may be so ! How 
much we need to be roused from the lethargy in which we 
are plunged by the absence of you all ! Princess Caroline, 
whom I saw yesterday, told me she hopes that we shall see 
the Emperor back again this winter. I went to her early in 
tlie day, and she was good enough to take me all over the 
handsomest and most elegant house in Paris.* Her state 
apartments are not yet finished ; but part of the ground-floor 
is furnished most sumptuously, the garden is charming, and 
when one I'ecollects the ruinous state of the place only a year 
ago, its sudden metamorphosis seems almost miraculous. 

* The Palace of the Elys6e in the Rue du Paubouig St. Honore. 



M. AZAIS. 197 

The Princess leads a very quiet life, receiving but few 
guests, very rarely giving large dinner-parties, and never 
going: out herself. The Archchancellor alone continues to 
give great receptions. Talking of the Archchancellor re- 
minds me to say, but with no ill meaning, Mme. Devaines 
has returned from the country, refreshed and rejuvenated. 
Slie loves it more than ever — intends giving up the world, 
and fashionable dress, and living in the fields. She can only 
talk of her trees. ISTo more dinner-parties, nor visitings ; 
only nature, the song of birds, delicious shade of trees, and 
perfect peace — she wants nothing beyond. Some of her 
friends tliink she is mistaken, but I am quite of her mind. 
At her age one must live quietly if one would inspire re- 
spect. Mme. de Souza is still here, out of health and rather 
lonely. She is anxious about Charles ; not a word about M. 
de Souza. Mme. de Labriche has returned ; Mme. d'Hou- 
detot is expected at the end of the month. 

Mme. Pastoret is full of an individual who has just ar- 
rived here and is causing some sensation. Do you remem- 
ber hearing, about a year ago, that Mme. Cottier had met 
in the Pyrenees a sublime creature — a religious philosopher, 
who had reached the heights of contemplation, and intended 
bringing out a book that was to settle all discord, religious 
and moral ? The name of this person is M. Azais.* He is 
here ; his book is published, and discussion goes on just as 
usual, except about his book, which is said to be utterly ab- 
surd. His principle is that the immortality of good is the 
explanation of the universe. He proves this truth by the 
physical system of the world, and is foolish enough to try and 

* Azai's was born in 1766 and died in 1845. He was at first a Professor at 
the Prytanee de St. Cyr. He was the author, as everybody knows, of a system 
of philosophy and physics which explained all the vicissitudes of human destiny 
by the law of Compensation, and the phenomena of nature by the law of jEqui- 
librium. He was Inspector of Libraries under the Empire. His first work, 
" Des Compensations dans les Destinees Humaines," was published in 1806. At 
a later period he wrote his " Systeme Universel " and a " Cours de Philosophie 
Generale," in eight volumes. 



198 LETTERS OF MADAME DE REMU8AT. 

upset Newton's theories, etc. Our men of science, who deny 
all his assertions, have referred him to the theologians, who 
will have nothing to say to him. He is now patronized by 
the metaphysicians, and women, or at least a few women, are 
upholding him, because of their " taste for the unintelligi- 
ble," as M. de Saint-Lambert used to say. Mme. Pastoret, 
who has a turn that way, has made the acquaintance of M. 
Azais, and has invited me to meet him at breakfast. I shall 
represent the audience, as you may suppose, and expect to be 
much amused. Azais wants to see the Emperor; he says 
they are equals in the moral world, and should stand by 
each other. He is said to be a fine speaker ; his imagination 
is ardent, his manner animated, and his nonsense very 
clever. . . . 



cn. 

TO M. DE KEMUSAT, AT MAYENCE. 
"" Paris, November 2^, 1806. 

Nevee have I sat down to my desk to write to you so sor- 
rowfully. My heart aches at what I am about to say, but impe- 
rious reason counsels it, and, whatever the cost, I must accus- 
tom myself not to oppose reason. I have just received your 
last letter ; it made me weep, and I was as much affected as 
you in reading your words, " We are parted for a long while." 
The worst of your position is that you are equally far from 
the Emperor and from your home. I think, therefore, that 
if his Majesty prolongs his stay in Prussia, you should make 
up your mind to ask leave to join him. My tears are falling ; 
I know not how I shall endure such an increase of distance 
between us, nor the fear of all the accidents you may meet 
with on your journey, but every one tells me that our inter- 
ests require this sacrifice, and I submit. I advise it, and I 
have now done my duty. But, nevertheless, I can not help 
saying that every other consideration would vanish in the 



CARDINAL MAURY. 199 

joy that I should feel were yon to receive orders to come to 
me. Oh ! my beloved, how grievous is this long absence ! 
What a life is mine, passed far from you ! What a loss of 
happy days for which neither rank nor riches can ever com- 
pensate ! 

You are quite right in thinking Paris was startled by 
that bulletin.* Some few wise persons concede the necessity 
of finishing the war once for all ; but the masses are opposed 
to it, and, moreovei', at present we only feel the misfortunes 
of war. The Emperor's return had been looked for ; it is 
now no longer expected, and great disappointment is experi- 
enced. The necessity of the Empress's presence is therefore 
very strongly felt, and this should be explained to her. It 
would put a little life into this dead city, and show that she 
takes some interest in its welfare. For my part, I believe 
that her return is absolutely necessary. I can not understand 
her reasons for wishing to remain at Mayence. Here she 
would get all the news almost as quickly, and would be quite 
as quiet ; for the moral atmosphere is not gay, and all is dull 
and depressed. 

C rdinal Maury's Monseigneur business is not yet over. 
I was present at a curious but rather ill-timed scene on this 
subject last Friday. It occurred at Princess Caroline's. She 
had had a dinner-party of about thirty people, and a recep- 
tion in the evening. The Cardinal and I were both at the 
dinner. At nine o'clock M. Regnault de Saint-Jean d'An- 
gely makes his appearance (he, as you know, is one of those 
most opposed to the title). " Monsieur," says the Cardinal, 
" I wish to say a word to you ; let us go into another room." 
" I must have witnesses," replies Kegnault. This annoys the 
Cardinal, among whose virtues, as you know, patience is not 
included, and he begins to complain. Regnault answers 
sourly, and the Abbe waxes wroth. " I suppose you don't 

* The buUelin which produced a bad impression was probably the Emperor's 
proclamation to the army, announcing new enterprises and new dangers, and 
promising fresh laurels. It was written from Potsdam on October 26, 1806. 



200 LETTERS OF MADAME DE REMU8AT. 

recollect," he says, "that in the Constituent Assembly I 
treated you more than once like a little boy. If my name 
were Montmorency, I should despise your refusal, but it is 
my hterary merit only that has made me what I am, and if 
I gave up the Monseigneur^ you would be calling me Tnon 
camarade the next day. ISTow, this I will not have." He 
was red and angry, and Regnault in a great passion. Every- 
body crowded round them, and the Princesses, who were at 
cards in an adjoining room, sent several times to request si- 
lence. N^o one knows how it will all end. There is but one 
precedent, that of Fontenelle ; he understood academic equal- 
ity well, and yet he addressed Cardinal Dubois as Monseig- 
neur and your Eminence. But the new Academicians say 
that the times are altered. Possibly ; but men are not, say I. 
I have just been interrupted by a visit from Lafond, who 
had asked me for an interview. He appeals to you because 
his theatrical dresses for the comedy have cost him a large 
sum. He really deserves some recompense, and if you can 
not grant it, at least write him a few words of encouragement 
and hopefulness. He had a great success in " La Metromanie," 
and will, no doubt, prove an excellent actor of high comedy. 
He is going to act " Le Glorieux," * and he draws houses at 
your theatre at a time when it is not easy to do so. Talma, 
too, it is said, is going to try comedy, but I do not believe it. 
Lafond seemed to doubt, but not to fear, his doing so. Mile. 
Duchesnois has asked me to obtain your leave for her to go 
and see her mother, and also permission to give a perform- 
ance at Yalenciennes. Pray answer me on this subject. . . . 

* A comedy by Dcstouches. 



ROPES AND ANXIETIES. 201 

cm. 

TO M. DE KEMUSAT, AT MAYENCE. 

Paris, Wednesday, November 26, 1806. 

I WEOTE to you yesterday, advising you to ask permission 
to go to Berlin. I believed myself prepared for this addi- 
tional trial. I stifled my tears and my sorrow, but all this 
show of courage has vanished on reading the letter I have 
just received. The idea of your departure has completely 
upset me. I think of the immense distance, of the bad roads, 
and the severe weather ! My heart is breaking. You will 
go ; I feel it must be so ; and I, your poor wife, must brood 
over my anxieties by my dull fireside, all alone, with no hope 
of your speedy return. For, since the Empress also goes, it 
must be that the Emperor is to be long absent from us, per- 
haps all the winter. I can not reconcile myself to this, and 
my tears are falling as I sit here alone. Sometimes I think I 
will go to Mayence and ask the Empress's leave to accom- 
pany her. And then I banish the idea, because we must not 
both leave our children. I have been separated from you 
five months of this year, and seven of last, and who can tell 
what the future may have in store for me ! All my life is 
in your hands, my beloved ! Take care of your health, 
therefore ; do not add to my anxieties ; and if you go, 
write as often as possible, so as to spare me all the misery 
you can. What can I say to you besides? I have no 
courage to speak of anything else. Yet I cherish one 
hope still — hope in the armistice, which you do not men- 
tion. This m.ay, perhaps, change the Emperor's plans 
and bring him back to us. If so, the Empress would not 
go to Berlin ; and to this straw I cling. Moreover, Paris is 
in real need of her sovereigns, and their further journeyings 
will have an additionally depressing effect. Charles regrets 
very much that he is not a few years older ; for then he says 



202 LETTERS OF MADAME DE E^MUSAT. 

he would go with you ; and I would let my own youth vanish 
without regret so that I might see that of my son, I think 
he would not accompany you, for you would stay with me, 
cher ami — with me, who would have desired never to spend 
one single day out of your dear presence, and am reduced to 
counting the endless number that begin and end without you ! 
Adieu. I am too sad to write more, and I blame myself 
for adding to your regrets. We must submit to what is im- 
posed on you by duty. ... 



CIV. 

TO M. DE KEMUSAT, AT MATENCE. 

Paris, November 29, 1806. 
The quarrel is still raging at. the Institute. Maury and 
Regnault are abusing each other. JN^either the one nor the 
other includes moderation among apostolic virtues or magis- 
terial qualities. The Abbe Morellet, whom I saw the day 
before yesterday, is greatly displeased with the recent sittings 
of the Academy, and especially with a proposition made two 
days ago by Lacuee,* to deliberate on the question whether 
the Emperor can or can not decide the great business of the 
Monseigneur. Our Abbe considers there is a lack of respect 
in such a discussion, and I think the remark is just. The 
point will be decided on Thursday. Meanwhile the Cardinal 
tells everybody that he cares very little for the Institute, and 
he imports into the dispute, really a very trivial one, a de- 
gree of violence which gives him the appearance of being in 
the wrong. Don't you think it absurd that the Emperor 

* Lacuee de Cesson, who was born in 1752 and died in 1841, had been in 
the army. His writings are exclusively on the art of war. He belonged to the 
class of moral and political science, and to the class of languages and literature, 
viz., to the French Academy, from the year 1803. 



THE DUBIOUS FUTURE. 203 

should be disturbed from the great questions that absorb him 
by all these paltry vanities ? 

The Empress's departure for Berlin is becoming known 
here, and is greatly regretted. It is said openly that the 
Emperor will not return this winter. I still hope that noth- 
ing is settled, or how many more days of sadness and ennui 
will have to be endured! I await letters from you with 
impatience, and try to believe you will not write, "I am 
going." 

l!^early all our friends have returned ; Mine. d'Houdetot 
is expected on Monday. We shall begin our Wednesdays 
at once, and you will be much missed. You already know 
how I shall pass my time ; I shall be much at home, for, in 
default of other pleasures, I can enjoy my favorite laziness, 
which I regard as almost as good a defense for women as 
virtue, but not nearly so good as love. I am afraid you will 
not admire this remark. Fortunately, you are tolerably sure, 
I think, of those three safeguards, and you can scarcely ob- 
ject to my preferring the latter. 



CY. 



TO M. DE EEMUSAT, AT MAYENCE. 

Paris, December 5, 1806. 

I KNOW not what to think of our future. War is reviv- 
ing; the foreign kings seem struck with blindness. The 
measures taken by the Emperor are too imposing to be 
judged by the ordinary standards of human reason. The 
worst is that people are not sufficiently convinced of the in- 
sufficiency of their judgment in times like these, and every- 
body investigates, thinks, and concludes according to his own 
mind or his own interests. I admit that this makes society 
distasteful to me ; the issues involved in the coming events 



204 LETTERS OF MADAME DE rMUSA T. 

of this winter are too great for me to endure with patience 
the arguments of a crowd of idlers who know nothing, and 
yet are always talking and pronouncing judgment. I pre- 
fer, therefore, to live in retirement with a few friends who 
can understand and sympathize with me. But even when 
alone, I am not free from alarm. The Emperor is so far 
away, and surrounded with constantly recumng dangers ! 
Will his good genius always preserve him % Are the trou- 
bles of France quite at an end ? And then yourself ? How 
long will it be before I see you again ? Sometimes I have 
the courage to wish you were at Berlin ; at others I wish 
you were not going to leave Mayence ; but I resist this feel- 
ing because it is selfish, and because it is only I who would 
suffer from the increased distance between us, while you, in 
attendance on the Emperor, with more occupation and feel- 
ing yourself useful — you would be happier. There were 
momentary hopes here of their Majesties' return, and now 
the certainty of their absence has caused something like con- 
sternation. Paris is like a dead body — it has neither life 
nor motion ; and as the dullness of our life here, and your 
absence, reduce me to the pleasures of reflection only, I find 
myself reflecting by my fireside on the influence — which, 
though seemingly purely imaginary at a first glance, is hap- 
pily very real in fact — that is exercised by one man over a 
vast crowd of beings to all appearance like himself. By 
what degrees has this result been brought about in the social 
order ? This would be a curious and interesting study. But 
it would be very difficult for my poor brain to consider the 
subject for any length of time, nor should I have sufficient 
capacity, even were I in perfect health. Yet how can I 
avoid serious thought when our interests are all involved in 
the question? You may imagine the discussions that are 
held concerning the last decree against trade with England.* 

* This was the Berlin decree that placed the British Isles in a state of 
blockade, forbade all trade or correspondence with them, and declared all prop- 
erty belonging to British subjects confiscated. 



MAURY BURNS HIS SERMONS. 205 

Ah! mon ami, it is neither pleasant nor easy to govern 
mankind ! 

... 1 have not yet met M. Azais. Yon shall have an 
accurate account of him, since he interests you. The party 
has heen put off on account of my health, and I am glad of 
it, for I think one must want a clear head to launch into 
metaphysics. You have probably seen by the newspapers 
the new resolution that has been taken by the Institute. It 
now seems that the final decision does rest with the Em- 
peror. Did I tell you Cardinal Maury informed an acquaint- 
ance of mine that, having been for a moment tempted to 
publish his sermons, he had read them over, and then 
burned them without mercy, as too philosophical ? 

. . . Adieu ; my head is aching, and I must take some 
rest. I think it is very polite of you to learn German ; to 
my mind, it is for foreigners to learn French. . . . 



CYI. 



TO M. DE REMUSAT, AT MAYENCE. 

Paris, December 12, 1806. 

I COULD not let Mme. de Lagrange * leave Paris without 
giving her a small packet for you, and as this is a safe oppor- 
tunity, I send your son's letter, which I did not like to trust 
to the post. You will see how clever it is ; and it is entirelj' 
his own. You answered it charmingly, and he has no idea 
but that you received it long ago. You will tell me what 
you think of it.f 

* Mme. de Lagrange was the daughter of Mme. de Talhouet, one of the 
Ladies-in-Waiting. 

f It is certainly an abuse of the liberty granted to an editor of private corre- 
spondence to publish the letter of a child nine years old. Unless, however, 
I am greatly mistaken, the interest attaching to the development of this youth- 
ful mind, which from the first was so remarkable, and which was destined to 
become so famous, is one of the attractions of this correspondence. The inci- 



206 LETTERS OF MADAME DE REMUSAT. 

I grieve to see by your letters that you are so very dull, 
and I sometimes think that if this lasts I ought to ask leave 
to join you, and I might, perhaps, obtain it. But I will not 
conceal from you that it would be painful for me in many 
ways to do this. The greatest difficulty would be the cost, 
which I am not well able to meet at present ; then the chil- 
dren, Charles especially, who requires a stricter supervision 
than my mother's, and, besides, she very naturally dislikes 
the post of governess ; and, lastly, my health, though I do 
not think it would suffer materially. Therefore, if at any 
moment you consider my presence desirable, just say the 
word and I will take the necessary steps. Does the Empress 
ever mention the subject? You can reply without going 
into particulars, for we ought to be very prudent in our cor- 
respondence, and, if 1 may say so, I think you are not suffi- 
ciently cautious. There are sometimes philosophical senti- 
ments in your letters which might give offense. It is an 
additional sorrow not to be able even to write to each other 
freely at such a distance, but we must make up our minds to 
every sacrifice, and hope that this one may procure us a long 

dent also furnishes an additional instance of the terror inspired by the Em- 
peror's police, and the resolution taken by my grandmother not to forward the 
letter by the ordinary post, affords an explanation of much of her reticence, and 
also of many expressions which seem out of harmony with her later writings. 
The following is the letter, which I have already given in a note to the 
Memoirs : 

" Wednesday. 

" I beg your pardon, my dear papa, for not having written to you sooner. 
Mamma told you, probably, of Gustavo's accident ; he is a little better. We are 
all quite well. I have been to the Musee. The pictures I like best are ' Jeanne 
de Navarre ' and those by Richard. I do not like the ' Deluge ' much. M. 
Halma is pleased with me ; I work harder than I did at Auteuil. We often go 
to see my aunt ; she is not very gay, because she feels anxious. We hear that 
the Emperor is everywhere victorious, and that we shall march into Berlin as 
we did into Vienna. His conquests are worse than those of Alexander or Cyrus. 
That line of Phedre may be applied to Paris : Humiles laborant uli polcntes 
dissident. I am now reading in RoUin about Alexander and Demosthenes. I do 
not like Philip ; he is too ambitious. But I love you better than all of them. 
Adieu, my dear papa. Charles." 



THE CAMPAIGN UNPOPULAR. 207 

peace. Peace! it is scarcely hoped for here. Discontent 
and discouragement prevail everywhere ; people suffer and 
complain openly. This campaign does not produce a quar- 
ter of the effect of the last. There is neither admiration nor 
even astonishment ; we have become accustomed to miracles ; 
the bulletins receive no applause when read at the theatres ; 
in short, the universal feeling is bad — I might even say it is 
unjust, for it may happen to the strongest men to be led 
farther than they wish to go by circumstances, and I can not 
believe that a superior mind will seek for glory in war alone. 
Add to this the conscription and the last new decree on com- 
merce ! All these things are pabulum for our ill-wishers, 
who judge of them unreasonably, and see nothing but the 
effects of passion in the measures I speak of. I am far from 
presuming to judge them, but, in spite of all I hear, I must 
needs admire and rely on the power that is arbiter of the 
fate of all those I hold dear. 

You will write to me as soon as you are able after receiv- 
ing this letter. I could not resist the opportunity of con- 
versing freely with you. It is sad to spend my life thus in 
suspense and separation ; sometimes even displeased with 
friends who do not share opinions that I believe to be right 
because they are moderate. All these things depress, agi- 
tate, or disturb me. The future alarms me, and I long for 
you to restore me to calmness and hope. 



CYII. 

TO M. DE EEMUSAT, AT MAYENCE. 

Paris, December llj., 1806. 

. . . Well, I have at last seen this M. Azais, and, after 
hearing him talk for three hours, I was inclined to say, as 
Portalis said of La Harpe, that my throat was sore with 
listening to him. The man is certainly mad, and all the 



208 LETTERS OF MADAME DE REIMUSAT. 

more so that he has missed his age, and in this one will- 
neither obtain the altar he thinks he deserves, nor the perse- 
cution for which he is prepared. Picture to yonrself a thin 
and pale individual of about fifty, dreamy and cold in man- 
ner, indifferent to all conversation except on his own subject, 
ignorant of what is taking place in the world. He rouses 
himself only when a certain chord is struck ; that chord is 
his system of philosophy. Then he rises from his seat, his 
countenance brightens, he begins to explain. Nothing can 
then stop him ; he goes on for two, three, and four hours 
without a break. He speaks with great facility, his elocu- 
tion is admirable, and his own conviction intense. To any 
and every objection he only replies, " You will believe me 
when you have read my ten volumes," and it is said that in 
these ten volumes he has explained, or tried to explain, all 
that the learned have merely discovered. He opposes ]^ew- 
ton and all the physicists ; he upsets parts of the astronomi- 
cal system ; he regulates the universe according to his own 
ideas, so as to arrive at his favorite principle and only aim, 
• which is to prove that order and virtue are necessary to the 
organic system of the world, and that the health of mankind 
will improve in proportion to the number of their good 
actions. He asserts that this system of morality thus brought 
within the reach of every one, will triumphantly take the 
place of religion, now on the decline, and of the authority of 
government. While talking, he reveals his belief in a first 
cause whom he calls the great ^proprietor. Beyond this, he 
is quite a materialist — holds the soul to be only a collection 
of ideas ; ideas themselves to be but bodies produced in us 
by the concurrence of I forget what fluids, which form in 
our brain the image of the object that has struck us. 

But I feel I must now take breath. I will return to this 
extraordinary man on another occasion. I am rather glad, 
on the whole, to have heard him talk ; for, notwithstanding 
the fragile foundation of his theories, he is so clever in find- 
ing proofs, and so fertile in their expression, that he excites 



,THE EMPEROR PAUL. 209 

interest. Our men of science will liave nothing to do with 
him. He appeals to posterity and to the Emperor, with 
whom he claims equality in the moral world. The guests at 
breakfast were Pasquier, Mole, and Dorion ; they held their 
own well in the discussion. Mme. Pastoret talked very 
cleverly. As for me, I could not venture to meddle with 
such matters, but I made my own private reflections on the 
curious mania which leads mankind to wander in search of 
all the mysteries surrounding them, while they fail to under- 
stand themselves in almost all the circumstances of life. 



CIX. 

TO M. DE EEMUSAT, AT MAYENCE. 

Paris, Decmnber 23, 1806. 

The Empress's return is still looked for here, but I do 
not hope for it, and I think that for the next few months I 
shall escape the grief of disappointment, for I am not caught 
in any of the snares laid by hope for others. I wish for you, 
my dearest, but dare not expect you. Alix heard yesterday 
from her husband. She had had no news from him for a 
month, and was in an anxious state. He is in good health, 
and stationed beyond Posen, far from headquarters, with 
which communication is diflacult. May Heaven watch over 
him and bring him back to us ! 

I met a person yesterday who was at St. Petersburg at 
the time of the death of Paul I., and who gave me some 
curious particulars. Poland reminds me of them, because 
Benningsen,* now in command of the Russians, was the 
man who struck the first blow. The task was intrusted to 
him, and he took the lead of the conspirators, who all felt a 
momentary panic on entering the apartments of the Czar. 

* Count Benningscn, a Russian general, born in 1745, died in 1826. 



210 LETTERS OF MADAME DE REMUSAT. 

Benningsen encouraged them, and knocked down the hussar 
on guard at the door. The man's cries warned the Emperor, 
who sprang from his bed and hid behind a screen. The 
murderers entered the room, and not seeing him, wanted to 
withdraw; their chief ordered them to remain, searched 
everywhere, and at last caught sight of part of the Emper- 
or's clothing which projected beyond the screen. Seizing 
him by the hair, he dragged him to the middle of the room 
and struck the first blow with his dagger ; the others then 
finished him. And this man is now commanding Alexan- 
der's army ! He is a bad man, incapable of the least gener- 
osity, cruel to his enemies and harsh to his inferiors, and will 
incite the Russians to all the excesses they may commit in 
their retreat. But since we are marching upon him, his hour 
is probably near. 

In order to revive Paris a little, the Princesses and the 
Archchancellor have begun to entertain, and are giving balls. 
On Sunday the Archchancellor gave one ; there were a good 
many women, but very few partners for them, and but for a 
contingent of pages, who were sent for, I don't know what 
would have happened. The Princesses are also going to give 
fetes^ but none of these things will be pleasure. I am not 
even sure whether the contrast of noise and movement with 
the mood of the guests will not increase the melancholy 
caused by the absence of so many beloved ones. For my 
own part, my heart ached at the sight of the Emperor's 
empty chair, and at the thought of the distance that sepa- 
rates him from us, exposed as he is to so much fatigue and 
danger ; and with such feelings, the sound of gayety and music 
inclined me to serious thought, if not to tears. But his re- 
turn — his return alone can revive us and make us susceptible 
of pleasure by bestowing on us tranquillity of mind. 

I met some of my colleagues at Cambaceres's, but only a 
few ; we are all rather scattered. Mme. de Serrant is pass- 
ing the winter at her place in the country ; Mme. Talhouet, 
who came to Paris for a passing visit, has just returned home, 



SOCIETY GOSSIP. 211 

and can talk only of the delights of rurality ; Mme. de Lu- 
§ay never leaves St. Gratien, where M. de Lu§ay is very 
happy. His daughter lives with her mother-in-law, Mme. 
de Segur.* Mme. Savary is in an interesting condition, 
greatly altered, and very much alone. Mme. Duchatel is in 
the same state. She looks lovely, dances, and goes every- 
where. I have seen Mme. Brignole ; she is a pleasant wo- 
man, and I could get on with her if our terms of waiting 
fall together. If you care to hear the nonsense that is 
talked here, I must tell yon that people say Mme. de la 
Rochefoucauld is resigning her place, and will be succeeded 
by Mme. de Montmorency ; f also that the Emperor intends 
on his return to appoint a Gouverneur des Princes, and that 
your name figures on the list.:}: I laughed at this last piece 
of news. However, if this should be the case, as seems so 
likely, praj grant my request and let me be appointed to 
give the lessons. Every day qualifies me better for such a 
post, and I venture to say you will be satisfied with my zeal. 



ex. 

TO M. DE KEMUSAT, AT MAYENCE. 



'J 



Paris, Tlmrsday, December 25, 1S06. 

I DODET, mon ami, whether my head will be able to hold 
all that has been stuffed into it lately, and, unless we take care, 
I am really afraid that on your return you will find an office- 
like air about your salon, and in my mother and me a like- 
ness to Catau and Madelon. Within the next week I shall 
have listened to three tragedies, a comedy in five acts, and 
an opera comique. All the rest of Paris is asleep, but the 

* Mme. dc Segur, wife of the Comte de Segur, had been Mile. d'Aguesseau. 
She was, therefore, aunt to Mme. Octave de Segur, her son's wife. 
\ Mile, de Matignon. 
\ This appointment of tutor to the Princes was not made. 



212 LETTERS OF MADAME DE R&MU8AT. 

literary world is awake, and, on account of our position, tlie 
smallest scribbler must endeavor to obtain your protection 
through my intervention. Aignan* has just finished his 
tragedy, and has asked me to name a day for his reading it ; 
on Friday I am to hear " Les Etats de Blois " ; M. Dorion 
keeps a comedy in verse in his pocket ; Duval has finished 
an opera called " Joseph," which is highly praised ; Mme. 
Simons, still writing, persecutes me. In vain do I make ex- 
cuses ; I must not be uncivil, and I devote myself. Merotte 
is amused by this, and we do our best to deceive all the au- 
thors who ask so disinterestedly for our advice. 

The Frangais is doing pretty well this year. I think it is 
the best-attended theatre. They are acting "Yenceslas" 
successfully ; Talma is very fine in certain parts, but the rest 
of the play was badly acted. Lafond continues to act in 
comedy ; he did not succeed so well in the " Glorieux " as in 
the other plays. The public were disappointed, for they had 
been looking f orw^ard to this impersonation. This proves that 
it is a mistake to suppose an actor will represent cleverly a 
defect or habit that resembles his own defects or habits. For 
if he attempts this, he gives way to his natural leaning, ex- 
aggerates, and acts badly. Lafond, who is naturally rather 
stiff, was altogether heavy in "Le Glorieux," and Mile. 
Duchesnois, whose voice is naturally tender and touching, 

*Aignan, born in 1773, died in 1824, a member of the French Academy in 
1814, was the writer of some translations and some tragedies. The tragedy 
mentioned was probably " Brunehaut ou les Successeurs de Clovis." Kaynou- 
ard's tragedy of the " Etats de Blois " was performed before the Court only, in 
1810, and was not acted in public until the Restoration. M. Dorion was a poet 
whom my grandfather had met during his stay at Cauterets. He died in 1829, 
in his seventy-first year. He wrote no comedies for the theatre, and only pub- 
lished two epic poems, now forgotten, "Palmyre Conquise" and "La Bataille 
d'Hastings." Alexander Duval, who died, in 1842, at the age of eighty, is the 
well-known author of a great many dramas and comedies. He had been a sailor, 
a soldier, an engineer, director of the Odeon, and was finally made a member of 
the French Academy in 1812. The opera of "Joseph" remains in the reper- 
tory, probably on account of Mehul's music, though the play is not without in- 
terest. 



M. DE TALLEYRAND. 213 

assumes a monotonous sing-song in parts which are exclu- 
sively pathetic. 

I saw M. Dorion yesterday ; he told me that M. de Tal- 
leyrand and Maret had been upset in their carriage in Poland, 
but nothing serious had ensued. It seems that the roads are 
extremely bad and the climate damp. So far, none of our 
friends in the army have suffered from the hardships of the 
campaign. By-the-by, have you any news of M. de Caulain- 
court ? I have not seen any of his family, nor have I heard 
anything of them. If you are writing to him, say a word or 
two from me. I had some thoughts of writing to him my- 
self, but he has enough to do without having to answer letters 
from me. I will write to M. de Talleyrand so soon as I 
know the protocol ; but I feel it will be rather a difficult task, 
and, notwithstanding your favorable judgment, I must admit 
that I find it difficult to write unless I can rely on the sym- 
pathy of my correspondent. I come to a full stop when I 
reflect that M. de Talleyrand must be perfectly indifferent 
to the subjects on which I usually write, and which occupy 
my mind while you are away. He gives an account of his 
accident to Mme. Devaines, and reminds her that last year 
he wrote to her from Presburg, and this year from Warsaw. 
" God knows," he adds, •' where I may be next year ! " 
Heaven grant he may be in the Rue d'Anjou ! * 



CXI." 

TO M. DE EEMUSAT, AT MAYENCE. 

Paris, December 28, 1806. 
... I AM very glad you have received your son's let- 
ter, and I think you must be pleased with it ; he is going to 
write to you again to-morrow. He has long meant to do so, 

* M. de Talleyrand's bouse was in the Rue d'Anjou St. Honore. 



214 LETTERS OF MADAME DE R^MUSAT. 

but has some difficulty, because of his natural indolence,, 
and also because he is working harder. Halma has thought 
well to begin mathematics with him ; this makes an additional 
task, and, besides, games are the order of the day. 

Gustave is quite strong again, and little Carignan * is a 
great friend of Charles. He brings other little friends in 
of an evening, and they are continually at games and ex- 
ercises. With all this our boy's health is good. He grows 
fast, is strong, and not too ugly. I sometimes remark a ten- 
der and intelligent look in his eyes that reminds me of eyes 
whose expression goes straight to my heart. When shall I 
see them again — those eyes that tell me I am beloved and 
happy? And, oh ! how happy I could be ! 

We heard " Les Etats de Blois " at Mme. Pastouret's 
yesterday. Lafond read the play to a numerous company. 
It was thought rather dull, but well written, and the char- 
acters cleverly drawn. The Due de Guise is very fine, Henri 
III. well portrayed ; there is a capital Crillon, and a leaguer 
exactly like the Jacobins at the beginning of the Revolution. 
The part of Henri lY. contains several beautiful and pathetic 
lines, but he harps too much on his love for the French, and 
frequently repeats himself. The style is polished and lofty, 
but somewhat cold ; in a word, the play is wanting in action, 
and it is quite possible that at your theatre it might only meet 
with what you call a suGces d^estime. 

Mile. Raucourt has returned, and is going to act in 
"Pyrrhus." After that a play by Lemercier will be pro- 
duced. . . . 

* The Princess de Carignan, who was supposed to have married M. de 
^lontleard, Auditor of the State Council, resided on the first floor of the 
house on the Boulevard de la Madeleine. Her son, Charles Albert, was my 
father's playfellow, and about the same age. He was tall, ugly, and awk- 
ward, and the butt of his companions. My father and M. de Grasse still 
laughed sometimes at these recollections when I was a child. None the less, 
however, was he a chivalrous and patriotic king from 1831 to 1840, and the 
father of the founder of the kingdom of Italy, the great Victor Emmanuel. 



AFTER AN INTERVAL. 215 

The letters of the early part of the year 1807 are almost 
entirely devoid of general interest. The correspondence is 
resumed in July of that year, when Mme. de Remusat is at 
Aix-la-Chapelle, and associating chiefly with the De Lameth 
family. The Russian campaign had not yet assumed its dis- 
astrous character ; the battle of Friedland had been fought 
on the Idth of June, 1807. An important event had oc- 
curred in the interval over which we pass, i. e., the death of 
the eldest son of Louis Bonaparte, King of Holland, to whom 
the Law of Heredity had secured the succession. The child's 
death, the effect on the Emperor, the Empress, and Queen 
Hortense, and the influence which it exerted in the matter 
of the divorce, are dwelt upon in the " Memoirs '' at consid- 
erable length. 



CXXIX. 



TO M. DE KEMUSAT, AT PARIS. 



Aix-la-Chapelle, July 2^y 1807. 

I SHALL now be longing for letters, and suffering from 
terrible curiosity. It seems strange to be so far removed 
from these great events and important interests. Lemarrois * 
passed through this place yesterday on his way to drink the 
waters at Spa. While changing horses, he sent us a compli- 
mentary message ; I should have much liked to have seen 
him, and I am rather vexed with him for being in such a 
hurry. My neighbor here has received a letter from the 
army in a handwriting she does not know, and without sig- 
nature, giving her an account of the principal conditions of 
peace. We easily guessed at the writer. By the time you 

* General Lemarrois had just been appointed Governor of Warsaw. He 
died in 1836. 



21G LETTERS OF MADAME DE REMUS AT. 

receive this I conclude you will be fully infonned of every- 
thing, so I will not attempt to tell you any news. 

I passed yesterday evening at the house of a merchant, 
who talked a great deal about you. You accompanied the 
Emperor, he told me, when his Majesty visited the factory 
belonging to this wealthy and hospitable M. Yermonteu. 
There are frequent assemblies at the various merchants' 
houses here, and without giving ourselves the airs of Court 
ladies, we can not absent ourselves from them. I behave 
admirably, playing at cards with great courage. I shall 
become an expert whist-player. Happily, my mornings are 
my own, and they do not seem so tedious as I feared they 
would. . . . 



cxxx. 

TO M. DE EEMUSAT, AT PARIS. 

Aix-la-Chapelle, July 36, 1807, 

I THINK by this time the Emperor must be in Paris. . I 
dreamed last night that I saw him, and fell weeping on his 
neck. What a relief it is to know that he is in Paris, and 
that peace is made ! 

We can now look back and see with astonishment how 
long we have been walking on the edge of a precipice. We 
are safe at last, and the little speck in the universe, called 
the earth, is safe too ; for everything depends on that one 
life. A few officers have already made their appearance 
here, drinking the waters to cure their rheumatism. By-the- 
by, I was told yesterday that General Loyson, who lost an 
arm last year, not at Austerlitz, where he was much exposed 
to danger, but at a shooting party, took it into his head to 
have it embalmed and fastened by some sort of mechanism 
to his shoulder. He says he will not relinquish anything 
given him by nature, and he prefers a dead arm at his side 



AN EMBALMED ARM. 21Y 

to none at all. Only imagine the effect this pale, cold hand 
will produce on any one who touches it ! 

There is another young and strikingly handsome man 
here, who also lost an arm at Eylau. He makes no attempt 
at hiding it, but carries his coat-sleeve in a sling, and dances 
all the more gayly, waltzing, springing, and whirling about. 
He is noticed and sought after, while, perhaps, had he no 
limb wanting, he would not be looked at. . . . 

I like the Lameth family. The mother is a good woman, 
so is the daughter, and the son-in-law is excellent. They are 
a united family, and seem happy, and I like to witness happi- 
ness. Mme. de Nicolai's * happiness is the result of a love 
match ; that rascally little god is occasionally of some use, 
and I don't think him altogether out of place in marriage. 
Are you not of my opinion ? The Prefect is agreeable ; he 
has more talent than the others, but is not quite so good- 
natured. He is, however, most attentive to us. He told 
me he had met a retired officer at Digne, who is related to 
you, and who likes you very much. His name is Salves or 
Salles,f or something. He has heard you much spoken of. 
How on earth did he discover that you were a very clever 
and agreeable man ? He also talked to me of my father, 
whom he knew well, and of my mother, who was considered 
a very superior woman. I do not know where he has not 
lived. He h tolerably popular here. The people are not 
very French as yet ; time and tact are needed for this. 

Will you be surprised to hear that I am at the end of the 
fourth canto of Yirgil, at the last letter but one of my novel, 
and that I have all but finished the chair I am working ? 
Moreover, I am improving on the guitar, and I am a Due 
de Laval at whist. It is only in love for you that I can 
make no progress ; yet this does not mean that I am near 
the end. 

I open my letter to give you some news. Is not this 

* M. de Nicolai was Mme. de Lameth's son-in-law. 
f M. de Salve- Villedieu. 

10 



218 LETTERS OF MADAME DE EJb'MUSAT. 

impertinent ? But now see liow well informed we are 1 
This is what is reported here. Prince Jerome is to he King 
of "Westphalia ; Prince Murat, King of Poland, under the 
protectorate of E-ussia ; the Grand Duke Constantino, King 
of Servia and Montenegro. This is the last news at Aix-la- 
Chapelle. And I love you very mach, which is no news at 
all. . . . 



CXXXIY. 

TO M. DE EEMUSAT, AT ST, CLOUD. 

Aix-la-Chapelle, August i^, 1807. 

Are you quite aware, mon ami, that I start on my home- 
ward journey to-morrow week? Have you sympathized 
with me in my joy at the preparations I am making for my 
flitting ? In truth, I must give over grumbling either at the 
few days I still have to remain here, or even at our separa- 
tion. There is something so sweet in the thought of return, 
so keenly delightful in the actual home-coming, that I feel 
tem'pted to rejoice in the emotions that have preceded it. 
We shall soon meet again ! I shall see my children and all 
whom I love ! I am coming home to you in better health, 
with heartfelt delight, and with the satisfaction of having 
borne ray exile courageously, and passed it in gaining the 
advantages that you wished me to derive from it; these 
thoughts will be my traveling companions, until, in your 
arms, I shall receive sympathy and reward. 

My mother writes me word that " Esope " was not a suc- 
cess at Court. I am not surprised ; although it is a well- 
written work, I always thought it tiresome. You are now 
again in the tribulations of pleasure ; it is no easy task to 
have to provide amusement for a master, and especially for 
a conqueror, who for so long has had glory and good fortune 
as ministers to his pleasure. I always think that the Em- 



QUIET LIFE. 219 

peror must find life at St. Cloud very insipid after sucli 
great deeds, and that quite one haK of him must be at a loss 
for occupation. Such spells of languor and ennui are the 
penalty of the great in this world, and are a compensation to 
small people like ourselves. Talking of great people, I have 
just read a chapter of Montaigne that I like very much ; if 
you happen to meet with it, pray look through it again. It 
is entitled "De la Constance," and is full of remarks very 
applicable to the twenty years that have just expired. 
" Those who first shake the foundations of a state," he says, 
" are actually the first to be involved in its overthrow " ; and, 
" The fruit of disturbance is seldom reaped by him who 
sowed it " ; and then, " The very best pretext for novelty is 
dangerous." I pointed out this last maxim to M. de Lameth, 
who owned that he thought Montaigne was in the right. 
Do, pray, read the chapter. I feel very haj^py at the Em- 
peror's kindness to M. de Nansouty. There is something 
great and grand about his gifts which harmonizes well with 
the gigantic scale of events. Victory is assuredly the best 
title-deed. I was half inclined to write my congi'atulations 
to M. de Talleyi'and, but ignorance of his new titles pre- 
vented me. Tell him this, with my compliments. Do you 
know, I begin to like him very much because he appreciates 
you. 

CXXXY. 

TO M. DE EEMUSAT, AT PARIS.* 

Aix-la-Chapelle, July 12, 1808. 

I HAVE arranged my life here, so that time slips pleasant- 
ly away. I rise at eight ; drink the waters until ten ; then I 
bathe and return, to bed, take my breakfast, and dawdle 

* There is a lapse of nearly a year between this letter and the last, and Mme. 
de Vergennes had died in the interval. Mme. de Remusat had returned to Aix- 
la-Chapelle, accompanied by Mme. de Grasse. 



220 LETTERS OF MADAME DE HJ^MUSAT. 

about until noon. I then dress for the day, read, write, and 
sing until M. Aldini's * arrival. He is kind enough to read 
Italian with me, and, bj the way, is well pleased with my 
pronunciation. My English master comes next ; I engaged 
him to give myself something to do. We dine at five. In 
the evening we walk out, receive a few visitors, and by ten 
o'clock we are all in bed. In this way do I pass my time 
when far from you, as profitably as possible. My com- 
panion, who goes out a great deal, often asks me to accom- 
pany her, but I decline when it is possible to do so without 
giving offense ; my mourning dispenses me from balls, and 
my health serves as an excuse for not joining fatiguing ex- 
cursions. Moreover, Mme. de is very intimate this 

year with Mme. K , and that would not suit me. I fancy 

both ladies think me very reserved and not very amusing, 
but if I were to yield to them, I should lose the good effects 
of my visit here, and it costs me too dear not to wish to 
utilize it, as M, Pasquier would say. 

What you say of your own loneliness distresses me ; it is 
a real grief to me to know you are so solitary. On former 
occasions, alas ! my poor mother was with you. I knew that 
you were together, and thought myself only to be pitied ; but 
absence, of which I know the pain so well, is equally hard 
on you this year, and thus I suffer not my own sorrow only, 
but yours as well. Oh ! how I should like never to leave 
you ! How sweet life is at your side ! How I love you ! 
How happy you make me ! How closely you bind me to a 
life that you render so fair ! How can you expect me not to 
grieve over the separations entailed by my delicate health ? 
I can not but love my life, when its every moment is glad- 
dened by your love. Be less good to me, and I shall be less 
anxious ; teach me to forget your caresses, since I must be 
deprived of them; prove to me, at least, that I may reckon 
on the peaceful future you are j^reparing for me, and then I 

* Count Aldini, Secretary of State for the kingdom of Italy, has left behind 
him a distinguished reputation. 



QUIET LIFE. 221 

can be patient and resigned. Ali ! could any one promise 
me that my life shall last as long as yonrs, I should be re- 
stored to ease and calm; this is the only certainty for which 
I crave. Ah ! my beloved, could we but travel through life 
together and quit it at the same moment ! 

If you should be writing to M. de Talleyrand, remember 
me to him, and say that I am leading too dull a life to ven- 
ture on writing to him, but that I beg him not to forget me, 
and to be grateful for my silence. I have really nothing to 
say. Life is short here, but its hours are long ; one must 
swallow the waters, hold one's tongue, and get away as soon 
as possible. And this is what I intend to do, so soon as I 
get my dismissal. 



CXXXYI. 

TO M. DE EEMUSAT, AT PARIS. 

Aix-la-Chapelle, July 15, 1808. 

You may be getting through your arrears of work, but 
you evidently do not include writing to us in the list, for 
you write very seldom. For the last three days we have 
had not a word from any one, whether sister, husband, or 
Gustave — in fact, we are altogether forsaken ; and yet we 
certainly need a little diversion, for our life is very monoto- 
nous. The heat is excessive. . . . 

My health is really good in this place. I can scarcely 
attribute the improvement to the waters, for as yet I have 
taken only three baths, but I think it proceeds from the 
quietude of my life, and this is an additional proof that I am 
made for that country life of which we have so often talked. 
We really must contrive to have a house in the country some 
day ; I long for it more and more, and I think I should de- 
light in rural leisure. 

We are far from this, as yet, and you especially, who are 



222 LETTERS OF MADAME DE R^MUSAT. 

about to resume your Court life, if the Emperor * comes back, 
as is expected. Aldini, who fears he may soon be recalled to 
Paris, leaves us to-day for Spa. I shall miss him exceeding- 
ly ; his conversation was both improving and agreeable, we 
got on capitally in our Italian dialogues, and he was always 
most kind to me. If you happen to see him, you must ex- 
press my thanks, and say that I miss him very much. I 
have met with a pleasant Dutch family here ; both husband 
and wife are good musicians ; we sing together, and that fills 
up my time a little. I employ the rest as best I can. The 
Prefect often comes to see us. Mme. de Grasse has become 
accustomed to him ; she likes him pretty well, but he is the 
only person to whom she will speak ; she dislikes Ger- 
mans. . . . 

To-day is Thursday, and I fancy that while I write you 
are at his school with our boy.f He must feel the heat very 
much in that treeless playground, where I picture you to 
myself, embracing each other. How I wish the little fellow 
were with you ! . . . I am quite sure that you see nobody, 
and that on my return all our friends will be asking me for 
news of you ; consequently I do not ask you to tell me any- 
thing about them, but I wait for letters from Alix to give 
me all the gossip. Mme. de Yannoise will be your only 
visitor, and the only person about whom you will write to 
me ; the unhappy are sure to find you out, but you carefully 
avoid every one who could merely give you pleasure or pay 
you court. 

In my solitude I meditate on education, and I study 
books on the subject. I have been reading " Adele et Theo- 

* The Emperor, who had returned from Italy in January, had started ag iu 
for Bayonne, whence he returned by way of Toulouse on August 15th. 

f Notwithstanding what was said further back on the advantages of home 
education, my father had been sent to school in September, 180'7. The Lyc6e 
Napoleon had been selected, simply because Mme. Pastoret's two eldest sons 
were there — Amedie, who was older than my father, and already a rhetorician ; 
and Maurice, very much his junior. Amedie Pastoret died about the year 1860. 
He was a senator under the Second Empire. 



CONJUGAL CONFIDENCE. 223 

dore," a book that I had not opened since my childhood, 
and I find there are really excellent things in it. I remarked 
one paragraph which I must transcribe for you, and you will 
tell me whether you think it applies to any one : " A child 
who only likes to converse with those whom he trusts, who 
is silent in the presence of strangers, who chatters only with 
his friends and playfellows, and who, besides this, listens 
with interest to others — stick a child will certainly he ex- 
tremely clever P What does your Excellency say to this ? I 
think you will first laugh at me, and then think that I am 
right. 

Mme. de Lameth said to me yesterday : " You have left 
your husband among all those actresses — does it not make 
you feel uneasy % " " Ko," I answered. " What ! not a bit 
jealous ? " " ]S"o." " And why not % " " Ah ! why not in- 
deed? I can not say — ^but the fact is, I am not in the 
least uneasy." And you, can you tell me why ? . . . 



CXXXIX. 

TO M. DE REMDSAT, AT PARIS. 



Aix-la-Chapelle, July 24, 180S. 
If nothing happens to prevent it, I still intend to leave 
Aix on the 20th of August — that is to say, in less than a 
month ; but I hardly dare to dwell on the thought. It seems 
more difficult for me to get away from this place than from 
any other ; though certainly not because of the pleasure I 
take in it. In spite of M. de Lameth's kindness and attention 
life here is wearisome, and the very things got up for our 
amusement are, generally speaking, those that we care for 
the least. Concerts given by poor fellows who want to 
profit by the presence of visitors; music of the dreariest 
kind ; a third-rate play ; drives in the neighborhood in 



224 LETTERS OF MADAME BE REMUSAT. 

wretclied, jolting carriages ; picnics witli people I do not 
know and do not want to know, etc., etc., and then those eter- 
nal wliist-parties ! If I consulted my own feelings I should 
certainly stay at home. I have not the strength for long 
expeditions, and I am never dull with Mme. de Grasse, who 
takes care of me and spoils me, and who sympathizes with 
my sorrows, my anxieties, and my affections — in short, with 
all that burdens my mind, or fills my heart. . . . 



CXL. 

TO M. DE KEMUSAT, AT PARIS. 

Aix-la-Chapelle, July 30, 1808. 

This evening you will have your son with you ; I rejoice 
over this in my solitude, and quite enjoy these two days, 
Saturday and Sunday. ISText time you will keep him longer 
with you. . . . Just now I am pretty well. The poor Pre- 
fect can not say so much for himself ; his health is in a sad 
state. He has feverish attacks every day, and suffers much 
from his liver. He has been confined to his room since the 
beginning of this week. We go every evening to his sick- 
room to play quinze. People may say what they please of 
him in Paris, but he is an agreeable man, and a good man 
too. I can say nothing of the past, but I am greatly pleased 
with what I now see of him. I believe that the fancy we 
have taken to him has given rise to some satirical comment in 
the Faubourg St. Honore.* The cousin has already written 

* The following note by my father throws some light on this passage : " M. 
de Lameth was one of the most unpopular men in our circle of acquaintance, 
which was in general anti-revolutionary, although strongly imbued with revolu- 
tionary ideas. My mother, although full of the prejudices natural to the daugh- 
ter of one of the victims of 1793, had tendencies to liberalism and impartiality, 
which rendered her both more indulgent and more just, especially where she 
recognized ability." 



DEAN SWIFT. 225 

to Mme. de Grasse, and 1 believe that Alix also makes fun 
of us ; but we have made up our minds to brave everything, 
and, right or wrong, in despite of the critics, to like every- 
one who deserves it or who likes us. However, as this will 
not pass unnoticed, you may imagine beforehand the dis- 
putes that will arise, similar to those of last spring about 
another favorite of mine.* By the way, do you not write 
to him ? Do you hear nothing of him ? Does he not intend 
to stir from his chateau ? The rumors that arose in anotlier 
place have reached us here, but I do not believe a word of 
them. . . . 



CXLI. 

TO M. DE EEMUSAT, AT PAKIS. 

Aix-la-Chapelle, Augiist 3, 1808. 

... I HAVE finished reading Voltaire's correspondence ; 
that is to say, I gave it up when I came to the affairs of 
Galas and Sirvens, which bored me. I am now reading " Gul- 
liver " on Mme. de Yintimille's recommendation, and after 
having regarded it formerly as a mere story to amuse chil- 
dren, I am now astounded that any one dared to publish so 
severe a censure on all human institutions, and esjoecially on 
the government of the country in which it appeared. If 
Bertrand has not looked at it lately, I advise him to read it 
again ; it is really an amusing book. Abbe Morellet has 
good reason for his attachment to Swift ; I discover that he 
was a very clever man. 

I was amused by finding in Yoltaire's correspondence all 
the debuts of those old philosophers whose foolish vanity is 
now so obsolete. Their mad imprudence in digging the pit 
into which we fell along with them makes one heartsick, 
now that we know into what misfortunes they led us. Ah ! 

, . . . * M. de Talleyrand, 



226 LETTERS OF MADAME DE REMUSAT. 

how they deceived themselves with their pride and their vain 
science ! In a letter to one of his disciples Yoltaire writes : 
" Let us educate the people, and we shall be of service to 
every country. Thanks to us, Cromwell could not again suc- 
ceed in England ; Cardinal de Eetz could not make us endure 
barricades." The Revolution has proved how well we can 
defend ourselves from barricades ! 

I have a lively letter from Mme. Devalues, but she makes 
too much of what she calls my foolishness and her own com- 
mon sense. She deserves that some day I should tell her the 
truth concerning herself ; for, after all, she is always mis- 
taking indifference for wisdom, and moderation is easy and 
of little merit to those who take nothing to heart. She tells 
me that M. de Talleyrand is very dull at Yalengay, and that 
he has not ceased to regret his nephew. If this be so, I am 
the more sorry not to be near him. Perhaps you should 
have proposed going to see him. I am sure a visit from you 
would have done him good and given him pleasure ; I fancy 
it is a long while since he has seen a human being. If he is 
unhappy, I should like to write to him ; but I fear it is too 
late, and that my letter would only arrive at the moment of 
the Emperor's return. On reflection, I will not write, and 
when I come back I shall get up a little quarrel with him. 



CXLII. 

TO M. DE EEMUSAT, AT PAEIS. 

Aix-la-Chapelle, August 12, 1808. 

. . . We are beginning to prepare for the Emperor's /e^e. 
M. de Lameth, whose health is rather better, is decorating his 
house, and intends to give us a ball. You, too, will be hav- 
ing some kind of fete, for everything seems to foretell the 
Emperor's return by that time. I hope that you will then 



A 8PEGULATI0K 227 

see M. de Talleyrand, and that you will speak to liim of me. 
He ranks among the few whom I shall be glad to meet 
again. 

I have received a long and pleasant letter from M. Ber- 
trand. If we were oftener at a distance from each other, 
we should carry on a great correspondence. With my love 
for writing, and the numerous ideas which the most trifling 
circumstance furnish to his fertile imagination, there would 
be no end to our letters. He seems quite enchanted with the 
Comedie Frangaise. He will go nowhere but to the theatre, 
and it is there that we meet. He says the house is comfort- 
able, the comedy is excellent, the actors perfect, the plays are 
charming ; it is a passion with him, in fact, with the charm of 
novelty. If we are left in peace on my return, I should like 
nothing better than to pass my evenings there with him. 
But — yes,' I should like still better my beloved country- 
house, in which I would willingly pass the autumn. This 
morning two fresh eggs were brought to me; Mme. de 
Grasse and I exclaimed at the same time, " Ah ! if we were 
in our country-house, we should have brought in the eggs 
ourselves from our own poultry-yard ! " I want you to tell 
me whether you would advise the purchase of some Spanish 
sheep. Mme, de Grasse insists on our having a flock ; do 
you think this would be a good speculation ? 



CXLIII. 

TO M. DE EEMUSAT, AT EEFUETH.* 

Paris, Sunday, September 25, 1808. 

... I HAVE not much to tell you since your departure ; 
the hours have crept slowly along, with little of interest. 

* Mme. de Remusat returned to Paris at the latter end of August, and a 
month afterward, on September 22d, the Emperor started for Erfiirth, accom- 



228 LETTERS OF MADAME DE REMUS AT. 

The theatres do well. Trajan has made more than seven 
thousand francs ; Mile. Leverd has played twice. Fleury is 
said to be ill, and thinking of retiring into the country. I 
went to see " Scarmentado " ; * it is a wretched and tiresome 
rhapsody. I do not think the Odeon will see much of me ; 
one can be almost as dull at home. 



CXLIY. 

TO M. DE EEMUSAT, A.T EEFUBTH. 

Paris, Tuesday, September 37, 180S. 

... I WENT to Tivoli the day before yesterday, and was 
present at the daily dinner to the troops. It amused me.f 
The tables are well supplied; the soldiers merry, but not 
noisy. Women and children walked about among them, and 
not the slightest accident occurred ; shouts of " Vive VEm- 
j>ereur''^ were echoed from one table to another, and the 
whole thing had a joyous air. Charles much enjoyed the 
sight, and also the amusements provided for the soldiers 
after the dinner. 

I also went yesterday to the first performance of 
" Ninon." :|: The piece had a well-deserved success ; there 

panied by his First Chamberlain, whose task it was to organize in that town 
those famous performances of the Comedie rran9aise which, it has been said, 
drew together an audience of Icings {un parterre de 7'ois). Every one knows the 
insolent speech, " Ce n'est pas un parterre, mais une plate-bande." It would 
seem that the Emperor imposed on every one his own indefatigable activity, for 
between September 28th and October 13th — that is, in the course of one fort- 
night — ^the following performances were given at Erfiirth : " Cinna," " Andro- 
maque," " Britannicus," "Zaire," "Mithridate," " ffidipe," "Iphigenie," " Phe- 
dre," " La Mort de Cesar," " Eodogune," " Ehadamiste," " Le Cid," " Manlius," 
and "Bajazet." 

* A comedy by Lemercier. 

\ Fetes and banquets were given successively to the regiments passing 
through Paris. 

I " Ninon chez Mme. de Sovigne," an opera comique by Dupaty. 



MALMAI80K 229 

is some affectation in tlie style, but it is j)retty, and fairly 
well acted. 

These two are almost tlie only occasions on which I have 
been out. I am going, this morning, to Malmaison, where 
they say the Empress is enjoying herself. She is well ; I 
hope it is the same case with you. Tell me about your 
health. M. Edmond de Perigord, whom you will see, will 
tell you about mine; he was kind enough to send to my 
house, and I saw him yesterday at his sister's, just as he was 
starting. Mme. de Yintimille, M. Pasquier, Bertrand, Abbe 
Morellet, and Picard dined with me on Friday. I don't sup- 
pose that you pass your afternoons at Erfiirth as we passed 
that one ; it was one long discussion. We ended by the 
usual argument on La Rochefoucauld and La Bruyere. You 
know how this always excites Mme. de Yintimille ; the Abbe 
shouted as if he were but twenty years old, and I as loud as 
I could; M. Bertrand repeated at intervals, "Allow me! 
Allow me ! " but we would not allow him ; Picard laughed, 
and could certainly have made a scene in a play of it all. 
The next morning Bertrand came to give me the opinion to 
which we had not listened. He told me, with respect to La 
Bruyere, that he had read his works many times in his 
youth, without daring thoroughly to enjoy the pleasure they 
gave him. " It seemed to me," he said, "that after his satire 
of others, I should, as I advanced in the book, iind satire of 
myself as well ; I dared not think, because I believed that I 
could not escape him ; in short, he seemed to me the Talley- 
rand of writers." . . . 



230 LETTERS OF MADAME DE REMUS AT. 

CXLY. 

TO M. DE EEMUSAT, AT EEFUETII. 

Paris, September S8, ISOS. 

... I WAS at Malmaison yesterday ; tlie park is wonder- 
fully improved. The Empress is in better health ; she thor- 
oughly enjoys her ownership of the place, walks about all 
day, in spite of the rain, and seemed to me to be happy and 
tranquil. She had heard from the Emperor ; she thinks you 
must have arrived yesterday, the Emperor of Russia to-day, 
and perhaps to-morrow I shall see you all in the tripot of the 
Comedie. If your mind does not give way under all the 
obligations imposed on you, it must be a very strong one ; I 
always imagine you surrounded by your actors, all talking 
together. The theatres here are going on pretty well ; I am 
busying myself with " Kuma," like the fly in the fable. I 
have seen Gardel, who answers for the ballets. Paer is re- 
hearsing every other day, and tells me that the opera might 
be performed by the 25th ; Isabey is getting on rapidly with 
his work. 

I have received two letters from the Bishop of Alais. He 
is very much obliged to the Emperor for selecting him ; and 
he accepts, although fearing he will be unable to perform 
the requisite functions. At the present moment he has such 
an attack of gout that he can not walk even on crutches ; but 
Eontanes has written to tell him that nothing beyond corre- 
spondence will be required of him. He says a great deal in 
his letters to me about this " Life of Bossuet " ; he says four 
years of reading will be necessary before he can put pen to 
paper ; in fact, he seems afraid of his immense undertaking.* 

* M. de Bausset, the former Bishop of Alais, had just completed his " Life 
of Fenelon." He had been appointed Councilor of the University, established 
in this same year, 1808. His " Histoire de Bossuet " was not published until 
1814, and he died in 1824, having received the cardinal's hat in 181'7. 



PLEASANT COMPANY. 231 

CXLYI. 

TO M. DE EEMUSAT, AT EKFUETH, 

Paris, October 7, 1S08. 

I PASSED the whole of yesterday at Malmaison; there 
were but few persons there. The Empress has got over her 
stiff neck, but she is depressed by the return of her head- 
aches. The works are being carried on in every direction, 
and the place is really becoming like fairy-land. When from 
time to time I catch a glimpse of the country, through a 
window as it were, all my rural desires are revived, and I re- 
turn to this great city with melancholy feelings. I am ex- 
pecting Duval to-day. He is to read his comedy * to us. 
You will think I am always having plays read to me ; and, 
in truth, this is the third. I hope after this to be quiet. As 
I have made it known that I shall scarcely ever go out in 
the evening, my drawing-room is more crowded than it was 
at first ; the few idlers who are neither in the country, nor 
with the army, nor yet on their travels, come to meet each 
other by my fireside. There was excellent company here 
the day before yesterday : M. Delambre, M. Cuvier, Mile. 
de Meulan, M. Bertrand, and Mme. Devalues, who talked 
rather loud, but, nevertheless, made herself pleasant. I like 
M. Delambre very much ; he is the essence of kindness and 
simjDlicity. I think that Cuvier is what would be called a 
cleverer man ; his conversation has more point and pungency, 
but he is rather sarcastic. We talked a great deal about the 
" Lycees." They are dismayed at the amount of \tork that 
has to be done, and at all the obstacles in the way, and say 
they ought to educate the professors before intrusting pupils 
to them. 

ISTothing but departure is talked of here ; the officers are 

* Probably the " Chevalier d'Industrie," a comedy in five acts and in verse, 
performed in 1809. 



232 LETTERS OF MADAME DE REMUS AT. 

going off, and leave-taliing has begun again. We shall find 
it difficult to enliven Paris this winter, unless the rapidity 
with which the Emperor always outstrips our human fore- 
sight causes everything to be over before the bad weather 
sets in. As you may imagine, there is much said here con- 
cerning the recent capitulation ; it is considered a fine thing, 
and honorable to our arms. Many details are added, of 
which I do not believe one word. This is another of the 
annoyances of life in the capital just now. In the country 
one sees the newspapers only, and one hears the bare facts, 
while here one must be constantly on. one's guard against 
gossip invented either in an idle or malicious spirit. 

I scarcely count on letters from you, and I see plainly 
that I am right. Your valet writes about you to Laure ; I 
know you are well, and that is enough for me. He says 
you are continually at work, overwhelmed with petitions, 
with visitors, with letters, and with lists, and that he can not 
conceive how you hold out. I trust that, at any rate, all the 
trouble you take will be rewarded by success, and that the 
plays will succeed and your own services be appreciated. I 
hear that the theatre at Erfiirth was a very bad one and in 
great disorder. Your southern vivacity must have found 
full scope for action ; and I, just now, am very far from 
the vortex in which you are plunged, for I have never 
been more quiet or more lazy. This physical repose suits 
my health, and would be of still further benefit did it reach 
to my poor brain ; you have not the leisure to listen to all 
the thoughts that pass through my mind, and sometimes dis- 
tress me^ in my solitude. Thoughts of all kinds, recollec- 
tions, sometimes of a painful nature, anxieties, hopes— I 
know not what, in fact ; but all that can occupy the vivid 
imagination of an unoccupied and dreamy woman. 

I have finished Tacitus, for I am not always dreaming. 
While looking for a book, I came upon " Eraile," and I 
am now reading it. But, tnon ami, I must be getting old, 
for I no longer care so much for Rousseau. His paradoxes 



ERFUBTH. 233 

strike and displease me mucb. more than formerly, and some- 
times I find myself saying alond, " But this is untrue ! he 
speaks falsely here ! " And then I am inclined afterward to 
regret having become more critical, for in outliving an illu- 
sion one must always give up a pleasure. Fortunately, your 
affection and the happiness it procures for me are most sweet 
truths ; they will always accompany me on my life's jour- 
ney, and will be a constant consolation in the sorrowful 
experiences that await me in Hfe. 



CXLYII. 

TO M. DE EEMUSAT, AT EEFUETH. 

Paris, October 12, ISOS. 

Yesterday was a dreadful day to me. I was obliged, 
at last, to take that poor child back to school. After spend- 
ing part of the night in soothing him, for he was too agitated 
to sleep, I exerted myself all the morning to keep up his 
courage by my own good spirits. At last, at noon, we set 
out, Albert crying loudly, for he quite well understood that 
his brother was leaving home. My poor Charles endeavored 
to restrain his tears ; as for me, I was choking. Our drive, 
as you may imagine, was not a lively one. We reached 
the gloomy place. I stayed there some little while, and 
when I found my courage was leaving me I made my 
escape. . . . 

While I am passing my days here in making myself 
alternately miserable and happy by my own thoughts, you 
are spending yours in a very different way. I ardently wish 
that your stay at Erfiirth would come to an end before you 
are tired out. You are present at a grand spectacle ; all that 
crowd of kings set in movement by one man, by the impulse 
of one single will, is a fine subject for profound reflection 
and observant curiosity. I like the Emperor Alexander for 



234 LETTERS OF MADAME DE EEMU8AT. 

his admiration of our Emperor, and I hope for results from 
that great friendship ; but I must confess that my alarm will 
be revived if, on the Emperor's return, he again leaves us 
for Spain. I can not bear to contemplate the risks he will 
run. Those incidental to war are, perhaps, the smallest. I 
wish it were possible to close the road against him. I am 
convinced that, whatever may be the opinion of a small 
minority, all France ought to place itself between him and 
Spain.* If he does not stay in Paris this winter, we may 
prepare ourselves for a very dull one. Talking of winter, 
when you return we must think seriously of entertaining 
more company and carrying out our master's wishes. Our 
sorrows, my want of sj^irits, my bad health, and my recent 
absence, have prevented our conforming to the orders we had 
received, but the time has now come to set about it. What 
say you ? Otherwise, we shall have to reduce our style of 
living within the narrowest limits, for all our expenses, or, 
at least, the cost of everything, will be greatly increased this 
winter. It is extraordinary how all the necessaries of life 
become dearer day by day. At the present time, an income 
of a hundred thousand francs a year would not go so far as 
half that sum in former times. It is true that luxury has 
greatly increased. We no longer live in times when a good 
story at dinner would make up for a course the less ; at the 
dinners of the present day all the wit lies in the entrees and 
the Madeira. Conversation that must take place by the light 
of thirty wax candles, in a sumptuously-furnished drawing- 
room, is an expensive amusement, and even at that price wit 
is not to be had for the asking. 

I remember to have seen my mother receive her friends 
in a small room, lighted by one solitary lamp. At nine 
o'clock boiling water was brought in ; she would make the 
tea, which her guests drank as they chatted, and after this 

* If the reader wishes to appreciate the truth of this almost prophetic pas- 
sage, he will do well to read the " Memoirs of Count Miot de Mehto." — Tkans- 

LATORS. 



M. PA8QUIEB. 235 

fashion wMled away tlie time until the night was far ad- 
vanced. It would be very difficult to attract people to one's 
house by such means nowadays; but, then, it is also very 
difficult to be so agreeable as my mother was. 



CXLYIII. 

TO M. DE EEMUSAT, AT FONTAnsrEBLEAU.* 

Paris, Friday Evening, November, 1809. 

M. Pasquiee is going to Fontainebleau to-morrow, mon 
ami, and offers me his services. I had intended to send your 
nephew ; but M. Laborie's answer, which I add to my packet, 
and which you will show to M. de Talleyrand, renders this 
unnecessary. I inclose a letter from the. Princess of Bene- 
vento I had sent to her house, and another from the Duchess 

* A whole year has elapsed between the last letter and this one. At the 
date of the opening of the present correspondence the Emperor was in Germany. 
He had left Paris on April 24, 1809, and had fought the battle of Essling on 
May 21st and 22d, and the battle of Wagrara on July 6th. He had not returned 
to Pontainebleau until October 16th. Despite his victories, the situation of the 
Empire had become much more grave, and this was felt even at Court. In little 
notes written by my grandfather, and too short for publication, I constantly 
met with the following totally new phrase : " The outlook grows terribly dark." 
My grandparents discerned the decline all the more clearly, because their in- 
creasing intimacy M'ith M. de Talleyrand opened their eyes to the truth. Their 
relations with Talleyrand placed them in a political position which at that period 
was rather disadvantageous to them than otherwise. In his capacity of super- 
intendent of theatres, my grandfather had been obliged to exercise a sort of 
patronage toward men of letters in Parisian society. Although he derived this 
appointment from the Emperor himself, he was gradually becoming distrusted 
by the latter, whose suspiciousness and defects of character had increased. 
Hence they stood in a special and not easily explained position ; and while M. 
de Kemusat was considered by many persons, and considered himself, to have 
fallen into a kind of disgrace, he was at the same time regarded as a probable 
Minister of the Interior, which post had been for some time vacant, and to 
which M. de Montalivet was appointed on October 2d. The approaching divorce 
added to these complications. 



236 LETTERS OF MADAME DE REMUS AT. 

of Courland,* to whom I had also sent. I hope M. de Talley- 
rand will be pleased with me. Kow for our own afEairs. I 
have written to the Empress ; I think mj letter prettj good, 
although rather long. When you give it to her, please make 
my apologies for its length, and then let her have it, what- 
ever the state of her domestic affairs ; unless a violent quarrel 
is going on, she will contrive to make use of it. 

I have seen Corvisart ; he will not do anything. " It is 
rheumatism," he says ; " you must be nursed and kept warm ; 
nothing more." I am not feverish, only a little weak ; but 
as I have no occasion for strength, I like my state very well, 
and thoroughly enjoy my room, my bed, and my quietude. 
Yesterday, to pass away the time, I sent for Charles. After 
the classes were over they allowed him to come. He was as 
fresh and rosy as possible ; we kissed again and again, and 
had a long talk together. His masters are satisfied with 
him; his class is very advanced. Auvrayf says that the 
seventh and eighth are very good places. He would have 
been much higher up, only that he thought the verb after 
the word la jplxipart should always be in the singular, and in 
speaking of several persons he wrote " La plupart avait . . . 
etc." Muzine continues to bully him a little ; he works him 
hard at Greek ; he is translating passages from Isocrates, and 
is very proud of it. All this he told me while romping with 
his brother on my bed. 'Next, he dressed himself in his new 
coat to show it to me ; that coat, you know, that I did not 
want him to wear lest he should not look well in it. Mon 
ami, how silly I was ! As if anything could fail to look 
well on Charles ! He is charming in the coat ; I was in de- 
spair at having no one to whom I could say so, and I resolved 
I would write it to you. At eight o'clock my little visitors 
left me, and Bertrand arrived. He is very sallow and very 
melancholy. We talked over our illnesses — he of jaundice, 

* The Duchess of Courland was a friend of M. de Talleyrand, 
f M. Auvray was one of the Professors at the Lycee Napoleon. He was 
subsequently Inspector of the University. 



TEE POPK 23Y 

and I of rheunnatism. He thought me very good company. 
I have seen Countess Eumford and my cousin, and that is 
all. It is said that the King of Saxony * will not arrive be- 
fore Monday. M. de Talleyrand will be very gay at Meaux. 
He is designated (not the King of Saxony) as President of 
the Corps Legislatif ; others name the Archchancellor. Peo- 
ple announce the arrival of the Pope at St. Denis; they 
change the places of all the kings ; they know something of 
the gallantries at Fontainebleau ; they narrate these adven- 
tures, and ask me questions. To all of them I make my 
favorite answer, " I don't know." 

I have seen Picard ; he has written to you concerning 
the state of things at the Opera. Everything is going 
amiss ; however, you will have " Cortez " f and " Orphee." 
By-theby, it has occurred to me, in my wisdom, that you 
ought not to have " Athalie " acted at Court ; there are pas- 
sages which might be applied to the religious question, such 
as " Tomjpez tout jpacte avec Vimpiete,^^ and that would spoil 
all after your exertions.:]: People would resent it to you 
that their feelings were wounded without their having the 
right to complain, and this in presence of a religious king! 
I submit this little piece of advice to you ; I carry caution 
very far, as you know. 

3fon mni, the delight that I felt in putting on my dress- 
ing-gown again, and sitting down by my fire with nothing 
to do but to rest myself, convinces me more than ever that 
I am quite old, and that if I were sensible enough to adopt 
the ways of my real age, * I should do well. " But your 
head," I hear you say, " and your heart ? " Ah ! I certainly 
still like them to retain their activity ; but a good deal may 

* M. de Talleyrand had been dispatched to Meaux, to meet the King of 
Saxony, who arrived in Paris on November 13th. 

f "Fernand Cortez," an opera by Spontini, and a revival of Gluck's "Or- 
pheus." 

\ From the previous June, the rupture between the Emperor and the Pope 
had been complete. 

* She was then nine-and-twenty. 



238 LETTERS OF MADAME DE REMUS AT. 

be done in that way from one's easy-cliair, and though I 
have not stirred from my chimney-corner, I assm-e yon I 
have not been asleep there. I have amused myself with 
going over my past life, and I found you everywhere. This 
put me in a good humor, so I ventured a glance into the 
future ; you were present in all my projects as in all my 
recollections, and yet my reveries were very sweet ! Great 
repose of body, and some agitation, or rather some emotion 
for the heart — this is what I require. But, ah me ! I am 
involved in a vortex, and I can neither arrest nor endure the 
movement that bears me along. 

Adieu, my dearest ; I wish you a good-night, and am 
now going to bed, for it is ten o'clock already. You are 
very good to have written to me this morning ; I did not 
expect it, you are so busy ! M. Pasquier will bring me news 
of you on Monday, and also news of our friend.* He must 
allow me to call him by that name, which by no means dimin- 
ishes the respect due to him. Talk to him about me. If 
he were here I would tell him all that I have been thinking 
of in my solitude ; for he, too, entered into my solitary rev- 
eries. He had the arranging of everything, and it was all 
well done. I continue to be amused with his Gourville, 
though it is rather confused ; I am going to read Cardinal 
de E.etz over again, so as to find myself once more in the 
good old times I have too much neglected. I am now ready 
for " Memoirs " again. Adieu ; I am talking a great deal, 
and you will have something else to attend to on Sunday 
besides my chatter. 

* M. de Talleyrand. 



THE APPROACHmG DIVORCE. 239 

CXLIX. 

- TO M. DE KEMUSAT, AT TRIANON. - 

Paris, Sunday Evening, December, 1809. 

Bonsoir., onon ami / my day is over, and before going 
to bed I must say a few words to you. I regretted you 
to-day ; we passed a pleasant time, your boy and I, and I am 
very much pleased with him. I must tell you that yester- 
day Mme. Pastoret told me the censor, Dumas, had said to 
her that Charles was one of the most promising boys of this 
year at the college. This put me in good spirits. The 
dear little fellow then came in, and behaved very nicely. I 
saw M. de Talleyrand for an instant this evening ; he seemed 
vexed at not being at Trianon. " Formerly," he said, " when 
the Emperor was in trouble, he used to send for me." I 
felt the bitterness of such a reflection, and tried to divert 
him from it by speaking on other subjects, but he was really 
grieved.* 

I greatly fear that you are having the same bad weather 
as ourselves ; it is raining in torrents, and the country must 
be very dull. I am going to-morrow to Malmaison. I shed 
tears this morning over the " Moniteur " ; all the speeches are 
fine, and make a good impression. Every one I saw yester- 
day and to-day had been moved by them. People repeat to 
each other that the Emperor wept ! Such tears are pleasing 
to us women ; the tears of men, and esj)ecially of kings, can 
scarcely fail to produce an effect, and you men are well 
aware of that. 

f The divorce was approaching, and the Emperor, after a violent scene with 
the Empress, had gone to Trianon. That scene had been described in the 
" Moniteur." Both of them, in the presence of the Imperial family, had de- 
clared that they renounced their marriage. This occurrence at Fontainebleau 
had prepared the way for the event, but the situation was not made public until 
the senatus-comuUum of December 16th, and the departure of the Emperor for 
Trianon, where he remained until December 25th, 



240 LETTERS OF MADAME BE RMUSAT. 

CL. 

TO M. DE KEMUSAT, AT TEIANON.^ 

Malmaison, December, 1809. 

I HAD lioped for a moment that you would have accom- 
panied the Emperor yesterday, and that I should have seen 
you. Independently of the pleasure of seeing you, I wanted 
to talk to you. I hope there will be some opportunity for 
Trianon to-day, and I will keep my letter ready. 

I was received here with real affection. All is very sad, 
as you may suppose. The Empress, who has no more need 
of effort, is greatly cast down ; she weeps incessantly, and it 
is really painful to see her. Her children are full of courage. 
The Yiceroy is come — he keeps her up as much as possible ; 
they are both of the greatest use to her. Yesterday I had a 
conversation with the Queen of Holland. I will repeat it to 
you as succinctly as possible. " The Empress," said she, " has 
been deeply touched by the readiness which you have shown 
to share her fate, I am not surprised at it, but, out of friend- 
ship to you, I beg of you to reflect. Your husband is placed 
near the Emperor ; all your instincts ought to be on that side. 
Will not your position be frequently false and embarrassing ? 
Can you bring yourself to renounce the advantages attached 
to the service of a young and reigning Empress ? Think of 
it well ; I give you a friend's advice, and you ought to re- 
flect." I thanked the Queen sincerely, but replied that I 
could not see any objection to my taking this step, which 
appeared the only proper one for me ; that if the Empress 
foresaw any difficulty in retaining in her service the wife of 
a man who was in the Emperor's, then I would retire, but 
that, unless such was the case, I would greatly prefer to re- 
main with her ; that I knew there would be certain advan- 

* This letter has already appeared in the Memoirs, but it is so important in 
its place in the correspondence that it is thought well to retain it here. 



QUEEN E0RTEN8E. 241 

tages for persons attached to tlie great Court, but that their 
loss was more than compensated to me by the consciousness 
of fulfilling a duty, and of being useful to the Empress, if she 
valued my services ; that I did not think the Emperor could 
be displeased with my conduct, etc. "There is only one 
consideration, madame," said I in addition, " which could in- 
duce me for one moment to regret the part I have taken. 
I will tell you very frankly what that is. It is impossible 
that there should not be, in the interior of this little Court 
here, some indiscretion, some gossip, something or other 
which, being repeated to the Emperor, may bring about a 
momentary annoyance. The Empress, good as she is, is 
sometimes distrustful. I do not know whether the proof of 
devotion which I am now giving her will shelter me com- 
pletely from a passing suspicion which would greatly grieve 
me. I acknowledge that if it should happen, even once, 
that my husband or myself were suspected of meditating an 
indiscretion, on one side or the other, I would immediately 
quit the Empress." The Queen replied that I was quite 
right, and that she hoped her mother would be prudent. 
She then embraced me, and said that she knew that the Em- 
press wished in her heart to have me with her. I needed 
nothing more, in the mind in which, as you know, I am, to de- 
cide me. 

ISTow let me know what you think. I know that my 
position will often be embarrassing, but with prudence and 
true attachment may not everything come right ? Mme. 
de la E-ochefoucauld seems to me to want to get away — she 
has even, I think, said something to the Emperor ; but her 
position is different. She will render the same services to 
the Empress, but without annuity or pension. In her cir- 
cumstances, that may suit her, but I must act otherwise; 
and, indeed, the more I question myself, the more I feel 
that my place is here. Put all this together, reflect, and 
then decide ; and remember that I have time. We are 
given until the 1st of January. 
11 



242 LETTERS OF MADAME DE REMUS AT. 

One would need to be very liappj to find this place 
pleasant at this season ; but there is an abominable wind, 
and it is always raining. The weather has not, however, 
prevented a succession of visitors all day long. Each vis- 
itor makes her tears flow. Nevertheless, it is no harm that 
all her impressions should thus be renewed in succession ; 
afterward she will rest. I think that I shall remain here 
until Saturday. I wish you could come then, because we 
really ought to meet and be a little while together. It is 
not necessary, in order to appreciate your presence, that I 
should be deprived of it; and, in good truth, the more I 
see of agitation and troubles of all kinds around me, the 
more I feel how dear you are, and that I love the repose 
and the happiness that come to me from you. 

Friday. 

I could not find an opportunity of sending my letter this 
morning. I hope there may be one this evening. The 
Empress has passed a wretched morning. She receives 
visitors, who renew her grief, and then every time anything 
reaches her from the Emperor, she gets into a terrible state. 
"We must find means, either through the Grand Marshal or 
the Prince de IS'euchatel, to induce the Emperor to moder- 
ate the expression of his regret and afiliction when he writes 
to her, because, when he dwells in this way upon his grief, 
she falls into real despair, and seems to lose her head com- 
pletely. I do all in my power for her ; it gives me terrible 
pain to see her. She is gentle, sad, and affectionate ; in fact, 
it is heartrending. By affecting her so deeply, the Emperor 
increases her sufferings. In the midst of all this, she never 
says a word too much, she never utters a bitter complaint ; 
she is really like an angel. I induced her to take a walk 
this morning ; I wanted to try to fatigue her body in order 
to rest her mind. She complied mechanically. I talked to 
her, I questioned her, I did all I could ; she seconded my 
efforts, understanding my intentions, and seemed grateful to 
me in the midst of her tears. At the end of an hour I 



JOSEPHINE'S GRIEF. 243 

acknowledge that I was almost fainting with the effort that 
I had made, and for a few minutes was ahnost as weak as 
herself. " It seems to me sometimes," said she, " that I am 
dead, and that there remains to me only a sort of vague 
consciousness that I am no longer living," 

Try, if you can, to make the Emperor understand that he 
ought to write to her encouragingly, and not in the evening, 
for it gives her frightful and terrible nights. She does not 
know how to bear up against his sorrow ; no doubt she could 
stiU less bear with his coldness ; but there is a medium. I 
saw her yesterday in such a state, after the Emperor's last 
letter, that I was on the point of writing myself to Trianon. 

Adieu, cher ami. I do not say much of my own health ; 
you know how feeble it is, and all this tries it. After this 
week I shall want a little rest with you. To find anything 
pleasant, I must be at home with my dear one. 



CLI. 



TO M. DE EElVnJSAT, AT TEIANOIST. 

Paris, Monday Morning^ December^ 1809. 

A THOUSAND thanks, mon ami, for your letter. I was 
awakened by its arrival this morning. I am rejoiced at what 
you tell me ; I do not suppose that the delay of a few days 
can inconvenience your business arrangements very much, 
and I presume that the Grand Marshal, knowing your pres- 
ence to be necessary here, will help you, later, to obtain the 
leave of absence that you will require. It is surely impos- 
sible that in the solitude of Trianon you can fail to find an 
opportunity of making explanations to the Emperor, which 
will restore you to his confidence, and you should neglect 
nothing toward a justification of yourself, which is necessary 
on behalf of the other branches of the administration with 
which you are intrusted. My good husband must needs 



244 LETTERS OF MADAME BE REMUS AT. 

gain by being heard ; I therefore feel great hopes, if you can 
obtain a hearing. 

I should also advise you to have some conversation with 
the Grand Marshal, provided that you think it well to do so, 
concerning your attitude toward M. de Montesquiou. Tell 
him (and it will be the truth) that you can not entertain the 
suspicions of his want of good faith toward you, which are 
generally attributed to him in society, but that you have 
observed that the narrow mind and uneasy temper of the 
Grand Chamberlain lead him to take precautions that do 
harm in every way, because of the misunderstanding they 
cause between you. It would be well if M. de Montesquiou 
had a mind like yours ; all would go smoothly then, and you 
would have an easier life. I repeat that, if the Emperor 
will hear you, your days will once again be peaceful ; but if 
the time of favor is over for us, be quite without anxiety on 
my account ; I shall adopt another kind of life with all the 
resignation you can wish for, I have attained the age of 
reason ; every day my tastes become more serious, and I as- 
sure you, with all the sincerity of a heart that is yours alone, 
that in any life that would be peaceful for you I should be 
perfectly happy. There was a time when I could not have 
believed in happiness far from Paris ; but I have a convic- 
tion that my days will be serene in retirement, should we 
become the victims of the mean intrigues that may be formed 
against us. May Heaven forbid this, however ! Meanwhile, 
with courage and prudence, you will be able to avoid or en- 
dure the trials which are, perhaps, in store for us. . . . 



« BEITANNIGUSy 2J:5 

CLII. 

TO M. DE EEMUSAT, AT COMPIEGNE.* 

Paris, April, 1810. 

Thanks for your letter of yesterday, I was beginning to 
grumble at your silence. From the bottom of my beart I 
pity you for tbe life you are leading ; but I am not surprised 
that the audience slept, or pretended to sleep, at " Britanni- 
cus." It was a brilliant idea of yours, certainly, and you had 
a good answer to give to questions on the subject : " The 
play was by request ! " f Amuse yourself with a safe con- 
science with the innocent actors of the Feydeau Theatre, and 
be of good courage. If you were pious, you would find 
plenty of exercise for patience during Holy Week. 

I heard of our boy yesterday ; he is quite well. He will 
come on Sunday, to prepare for his first Communion. If 
the time be fixed for Easter, and you are not back from 
Compiegne, then I shall ask leave to spend a few days at 
ITavarre, if my health permits.:}: They say here that the 
Empress is never coming back ; if you can write to me by 
some safe messenger, whenever there is anything concerning 
her, you would do me a real kindness. 

* There is an interval of four months between this letter and the last. The 
j'ear 1810, which was that of the Emperor's marriage (on April 2d), was com- 
paratively a year of peace. After his marriage, the Emperor and his new con- 
sort went to Compiegne, where they passed the remainder of Lent. 

■f- The Emperor himself selected the play he wished to be performed at 
Court. He asked for " Britannicus," and no one recollected in time that it 
contained certain scenes which, after the recent divorce, might be taken as per- 
sonal allusions. Talma became confused in uttering the following lines : 

" Non que pour Octavie un reste de tendresse 
M'attache a son hymen et plaigne sa jeunesse . . . 
D'aucun gage, Narcisse, ils n'honorent ma couche. 
L'empire vainement demande un heritier." 

The audience were equally embarrassed. The Emperor pretended to be asleep. 
X The Chateau de Navarre in Normandy had been bestowed on the Empress 
Josephine. 



246 LETTERS OF MADAME DE E^MUSAT. 

Did I tell you that Lemercier * was elected ? Our old 
members of the Institute are furious. I amused myself yes- 
terday by teazing Suard and the Abbe ; for my own part, I 
am glad of it because of the money. I have read his ode, 
which he had recited to me. Ma foi, all things considered, 
I think it very bad, with the exception of a f e w fine ideas, 
and I return to Esmenard, or rather to nothing, for it is all 
very poor. 

M. de Fontanes dined here yesterday ; also M. and Mme. 
de Ganay, Bertrand, Lebreton, and Norvins. The Grand 
Master was quite at his ease and in very good humor ; it is 
true that we all vied in spoiling him. How pompous he is 
about everything! I made myself agreeable, but in my 
secret heart his vanity was displeasing to me. He is posi- 
tively quite in love with Mme. de G , who, on her side, 

has not the least objection ; such things do not displease us 
women, do they ? Are we not, for the most part, curious 
creatures ? We play the coquette, we foresee what is com- 
ing, we do all we can to bring it about, we amuse ourselves 
with it, and then, when the crisis is reached and a declara- 
tion is made, we are angry, we stand on our dignity, and are 
to be appeased with difficulty. JSTevertheless, monsieur, you 
may make your declaration to me whenever you choose. 

I inclose you a letter from M. de Lezay-Marnesia. Two 
big boxes were brought to me yesterday, with a request that 
I would send them immediately to St. Cloud. I did not 
know how to set about this, so I opened M. de Lezay's letter 
and perceived that there was breathing time. Tell me what 
you would like done with the boxes, and whether you will 
answer M. de Lezay ; or shall I write to him ? f 

* Lemercier had just been elected member of that class of the Institute 
which represented the French Academy. He had, in spite of his Republicanism, 
written an ode on the Emperor's marriage, in order to render his election pos- 
sible. Esm6nard was an author of some distinction, and wrote some good 
verses. 

f The Prefect M. de Lezay-Marnesia had ordered a fancy costume for the 



LEBRETON. 247 

Bonjour, cher ami. I am not unwell ; with the excep- 
tion of my head and neck, I am much better. ISTor is Jose- 
phin unwell either, I believe he has made up his mind to 
go into Provence with M. de Yilleneuve,* who intends to 
start on May 5th. He is in a tolerably amiable frame of 
mind, and the house is very quiet. Lebreton comes to see 
me every day ; he is a kind and excellent friend, whose heart 
is a hundred times better than his head. I say this so that 
you may not say I am misled by his cleverness ; he is sin- 
cerely attached to you and to me. Some of your books were 
shown yesterday ; it was an opportunity for speaking of you ; 
I was greatly pleased at the way in which our friend spoke 
of you to Fontanes, and you know I am not easily satisfied. 



CLIII. 

TO M. DE EEMUSAT, AT COMPIEGNE. 

Tuesday, April, 1810. 

... I SAW M. de Talleyrand yesterday on his return 
from Compiegne. He had been traveling for two nights, 
and looked as fresh as if he had just got out of bed.f He 
gave me news of you, and hoped to have brought me a letter 
from you, but I see you have hardly time. I am vexed at 
the length of your absence. Three weeks more before I 
shall see you ! This is a long and wearisome separation. 
You can not picture to yourself how I grieve about it. It 
was long since we had been parted, and the delightful habit 
of being with you had regained its old influence over me. 
Each day I feel your companionship more necessary. I 

future King of Rome, who was not born until a year afterward, and this costume 
was contained in the two boxes. There was certainly no hurry. 

* M. de Villeneuve-Bargemon, Referendaire at the Cour des Comptes, was 
made a Prefect and Director-General under the Restoration. 

f M. de Talleyrand was then in his fifty-seventh year. 



248 LETTERS OF MADAME BE REMUSAT. 

think that our minds are more than ever in unison, that our 
opinions are more often the same, and that we now know all 
the charm of union. In youth, a diversity of tastes and 
opinions, which at that time is more strongly felt, does no 
harm to love, and, indeed, contributes to it, by affording 
opportunities of self-sacrifice ; but when years have crept 
upon us, quieter and safer joys become preferable, and har- 
mony and unity are then our best happiness. 

You will admit, this time, that I am writing for the 
pleasure of writing, and truly there is nothing in Paris for 
me to tell you, nor even in my own little circle. I am lazily 
lying in bed ; the weather is cold ; I have not the least in- 
clination to go out, and find myself very comfortable, with 
my desk on my knees, writing to you all that comes into my 
head, or rather my heart. 

Mme. de Yintimille is better ; this last attack is almost 
over ; but the future must always be alarming for her. And 
for whom is it not ? I am often inclined to smile when I 
hear of some bodily predisposition that is a cause of anxiety 
for after-life ; I laugh at myself, rather sadly, it is true, for 
my own fears. We fear that such an ailment may cause our 
death ; we take all kinds of precautions ; we seek all manner 
of relief, and, poor fools that we are ! the natural course of 
things leads us more surely than aught else to the death that 
we would fain escape! Is not life itself a first cause of 
death? The more reasonable plan, perhaps, would be to 
forecast nothing and to avoid nothing. 



CLIY. 

TO M. DE KEMUSAT, AT COMPIEGNE. 

Paris, Holy Wednesday, April IS, 1810. 

I HAVE something to tell you that will give you pleasure 
-Charles is first in his class. I inclose two letters that I 



CHARLES. 249 

received yesterday; you will see that lie signs "Charles, 
First," and that M. de Wailly * is pleased with him. I wrote 
to Fontanes to ask leave to take him out this week, because I 
wish him to attend some of the Church services, and to see 
the cure. I shall therefore have the dear boy with me to-mor- 
row ; we shall pray together,f he shall go out for walks, he 

* M. de Wailly was Proviseur of the Lycee Napoleon. 

f My grandmother alludes frequently in these letters to her tendency toward 
a piety, somewhat vague indeed, and yet more decided than that of most of her 
contemporaries. It may be well, perhaps, to mention here what was my father's 
opinion of the religious beliefs of his parents. " My mother," he writes, " had 
not been surrounded in childhood by persons of strong religious feeling. She 
had been brought up in the general creed of Christianity reduced to simple and 
easy practice, carefully severed from those accessories that, since the seven- 
teenth century, there had been a constantly increasing endeavor to suppress, 
and she was preserved from difficulties by a general recommendation not to 
trouble herself about them. Her strongest feeling was, therefore, not so much 
a fervent faith as an aversion to unbelief, which indeed had been censured by 
the Revolution, and a preference for religion, for it appealed both to her heart 
and her imagination. She was one of those persons to whom ' Le Genie du 
Christianismc ' made a timely appeal, and she had enjoyed the book. But she 
was not disposed to devotion, properly so called, and during her youth it was an 
unknown element in the world in which she lived. Religion, conceived with 
moderation and practiced with common sense, in no wise resembled the party 
doctrine abounding with childish superstitions, historical paradoxes, and polit- 
ical calculations, which at the present time is called by that name. As she 
advanced in age, and also through the influence of my father, who was not a 
believer, but who had been brought up at the Oratoire on a religious system, 
my mother, whose mind was more and more attracted to the writers of the 
seventeenth century, became better acquainted with the dogmas of Christianity, 
and she also experienced impulses toward piety, of which she gives an accurate 
description in her letters. For a long time her outward observances had been 
limited to hearing Mass on Sundays, and even this with irregularity on account 
of her ill health. In the autumn of 1811 she over-exerted herself in acting 
Elmire in ' Le Tartuffe,' at Mme. de Labriche's house in the Marais (her daugh- 
ter, Mme. Mole, was passionately fond of acting), and she then began to suffer 
from an affection of the chest that had not been hitherto included among her 
other ailments. In October she had an attack of pneumonia, which, without 
being very severe, ran the whole course of the disease. Reflections that are 
the natural result of illness to Christian minds then occurred to her, and after a 
lapse of sixteen years she confessed and communicated on Easter Tuesday, 1812. 
It was thus, as she relates it in a few pages, that she returned to a greater regu- 



250 LETTERS OF MADAME DE REMUS AT. 

shall study. We will try to spend our time well, and we 
will write a few lines to Compiegne. If you have a spare 
moment, write him a few words to praise him for being first, 
and then say something to me too. 

It is weary work to be so long without a word from you ; 
I begin to lose patience, and to reflect that in the salon for 
the Gentlemen-in-"VVaiting there must always be some table 
or other, with a sheet of paper and an inkstand, on which 
you might write to your wife that you are quite well, and 
that she is not forgotten. . . . 

I send you some papers about the Opera that I found by 
chance on the table in the ante-room. As for me, I am im- 
mersed in the most serious meditations. I read yesterday 
an admirable sermon on death by Massillon. It alternately 
depressed and consoled me ; it would be better to have that 
read to you at Compiegne than Abbe de Ranzau's* " Passion," 
which is said to be very commonplace. It is well to speak 
of death to the fortunate ones of the earth, and the words 
"dust," "tomb," and "the nothingness of life" ought to be 
heard in the palace of kings. 

The Minister of Police said yesterday, on his return, that 
Lemereier's ode had been liked at Compiegne. Have you 
heard anything about it ? If so, pray tell me ; it would give 

larity in the practice of her i-eligion. But strict exactitude therein, and severe 
orthodoxy, were alike unsuited to her. Her clear judgment, hei' serious sin- 
cerity, her dearest affections, forbade her from considering it a universally rig- 
orous duty to believe in and practice certain observances which do not result 
necessarily from nature, but occur accidentally from the history of humanity. 
Within this limit, then, she was a Christian, with sincere feelings, and after- 
ward with the independence which philosophic liberalism gives to religion. By 
a reverse action, of which there are innumerable examples, the Revolution had 
helped to place her on the side of religion ; the Eestoration drove her from the 
Church party. In reality, she differed less than she imagined from the state of 
mind of the ' Vicaire Savoyard,' if we add to it a liking for the religious writers 
of the seventeenth century, and consequently f6r Jansenism, and a marked pref- 
erence for positive religion over pantheism." 

* The Abbe de Ranzau, Chaplain to the Emperor, became known under the 
Restoration by his zeal for the missipns that were preached in France. 



COURT GOSSIP. 251 

such pleasure to you know whom. Constance is not very 
well ; this sj)ring-time is disastrous to delicate constitutions. 
Take care of your health ; it is my comfort and my most 
precious possession. Next in order are Charles's rosy cheeks ; 
but I say it from my heart, they come next. I have not 
arrived at that point of maternity at which one prefers one's 
children to everything. When I was young, people used to 
say to me, " It will come." But I have hardly reached it 
yet, and I feel that it does not come ; whose fault is that, 
think you? 



CLY. 

TO M. DE EEMUSAT, AT COMPIEGNE. 

Paris, April, 1810. 

I MAY expect you, then, next week, and I shall remain in 
Paris. I am very undecided about Navarre, not on account 
of my health, for I am beginning to accustom myself not to 
take it much into account ; but it just happens that I have 
no dormeuse here, and I do not know in what carriage to 
travel. I wrote yesterday to the Empress, asking how she 
is. I shall be guided by her answer, and then if you come 
here we can talk it over. 

Did I not send you a nice letter from Charles? It 
arrived last night ; and I gave myself the treat of reading it. 
In the mean time, M. de Talleyrand came in, and I showed 
it to him ; he was greatly amused, for it is really ingenuous. 

There are anecdotes current here concerning the Court 
and the life you are all leading at Compiegne. These stories 
are in general malevolent ; they turn upon the haughty man- 
ners of the Empress, and the hardness of her disposition, and 
then the other one is remembered. All this will make her 
position difficult. It is said that Josephine is to be Duchesse 
de Navarre only ; that she is to reside in the duchy of Berg ; 



252 LETTERS OF MADAME DE REMUS AT. 

that Malraaison is to be bought back from her ; that our new 
sovereign lady has expressed a great objection to her prox- 
imity ; and, in support of this assertion, expressions are 
quoted which are clearly inventions, because it is impossible 
that any one could have had an opportunity of hearing them. 
I await your return to learn the truth. 



CLYI. 

TO M. DE KEMUSAT, AT COMPIEGNE. 

Paris, AprU, 1810. 

"We hear that the Frangais is going to Compiegne ; the 
journey to St. Quentin is, therefore, given up, and also the 
return to Paris. I am very much disappointed, for I was 
expecting you home this week, and I see I must give up all 
hope of that. I am decidedly tired of your absence, how- 
ever, and of all your side of the house being shut up. . . . 

Just at this moment I suppose you are getting up ; it is 
seven o'clock, and your tiresome day is beginning. You 
will see our friend '^ to-day. He is very kind to me in my 
loneliness, and comes to see me nearly every day. He found 
me, on Friday, in a state of enchantment over a sermon of 
Massillon's which is well adapted to the weakness of our 
poor human nature. From our very defects he augurs our 
future virtue. The more vain and ambitious we may have 
been, the more nobly and devotedly shall we serve God ; the 
more we have loved IN^ature, so much the more shall we love 
God ; a tender and feeling heart is one step toward the 
Divinity. I told M. de Talleyrand that I was very glad to 
find my friendship for him was one of the steps of the lad- 
der by which I might climb to the love of God, and I made 
him read several passages of the sermon, wliich it was 

* M. de Talleyrand. 



CneRUBINL 253 

strange to hear from liis lips. After bis visit Savary* 
arrived. He asked many questions about our bttle Court at 
Navarre, and also about tlie future of our son, wbo seemed 
to him ready for the army. While I was receiving my vis- 
itors, every one was at Longcbamps, which was most bril- 
liant, I am told ; but I had not given it a thought. I am 
unwilling to move whenever the weather is fine, and longing 
to be out when it rains. This is being admirably adapted to 
the seasons ! 

The hooby always insists on my mentioning him ; he 
went yesterday to the funeral of poor Chaudet, who, on 
returning from Compiegne, died of vexation at having been 
ordered to make a bust of the Empress, in conjunction with 
another artist.f He was ill, congestion of the lungs ensued, 
and he died. Talking of artists, they are all wishing for 
you. I saw Cherubini at the Odeon yesterday, and he 
wants you to come back, to help him to get his Mass per- 
formed at a concert. The Mass is said to be splendid ; I 
asked him to have it performed at my house, and he prom- 
ised me he would. If it really is so remarkably good, it 
might, perhaps, be executed on some occasion of ceremony. 
However, he did not seem to take to the idea, and appears 
no longer to care for composing music for the great ones of 
the earth. He is at work at an opera comique^X ^^nd does 
not seem to be thinking of his grand opera. 

* Savary, Due de Rovigo, was not at that time Minister of Police. He was 
not appointed to the office until June 2, 1810. 

f I am ignorant who this booby was. Chaudet, a sculptor and painter, had 
a great reputation. The statue of the Emperor, that until 1814 was on the 
Vendome Column, was his work, as was Dugommier's statue at Versailles, and 
several graceful productions, such as " ffidipe enfant," " L' Amour seduisant 
I'Ame," "Paul et Virginie," etc. He was born in 1V63. 

\ This opera comique, by Cherubini, is probably the " Crescendo," which 
met with no success at the Feydeau. 



254 LETTERS OF MADAME JDE R^'MUSAT. 

CLYII. 

TO M. DE REMUSAT, AT COMPIEGNE. 

Paris, April 25, 1810. 

I AM writing to you, mon ami, without knowing whether 
my letter can go, or whether the Emperor is at St. Quentin, 
whether you are to accompany him, whether you are coming 
home, or remaining where you are. . . . 

People are beginning to take their departure. Mme. 
d'Houdetot is at Sannois. The time is short, and I am sorry 
when I think that I, too, must go away somewhere. But 
where ? and how ? All this uncertainty wearies me, and I 
try my best not to look beyond the end of each day. I 
should not dislike this one, if it could bring you back to 
me in the evening ; I persuade myself this may be the case, 
and then I am vexed with myself for the delusion. What 
weak creatures we are ; so easily troubled ; with so little 
tendency to what is good ! And I — I am the weakest and 
most imperfect of all ! Ah ! I say it in all humility. "What- 
ever is good in me I owe to you ; it is you who have shel- 
tered, supported, and guided me ; without your sense, your 
affection, and the happiness I owe you, I should, perhaps, 
have been of very little worth, and it is in you alone that I 
place all my pride. 

Amedee * has come back quite enchanted with Italy ; 
the two together compose elegies on France. Love of coun- 
try is not in fashion. What else can I tell you ? There is 
nothing new here, and I know but little about the theatres. 
Holy Week has kept me away from them. I know that 
people crowded the Frangaise to suffocation to see Talma 
in " Manlius." Mme. Corria is not much liked ; she is 
considered inferior to the two others, and rightly so ; she 
is talented, nevertheless. Her voice is smothered in fat ; 

* «imedee Pastoret. 



M. FO REIN'S NOVEL. 255 

she is an enormous mass rolling about on the boards. M. 
de Forbin's * novel excites controversy in society ; he is told 
of the various opinions on it, and becomes quite indignant. 
He says that when a man in society takes the trouble to 
write a book, society, out of esprit de corps, ought to defend 
it. Lemercier went to see the Abbe Morellet. "Mon- 
sieur," said he on entering, " this is not a visit of thanks." 
" Oh ! as to that," answered the Abbe, " I dispense with 
your thanks, for if I had been listened to, you would never 
have belonged to the Academy." "And why so, sir?" 
"Ah! because, above all, one should speak French.'''' "But 
which of my works has given you this opinion of me ? " 
" Unfortunately, all those that I have met with ; among the 
rest, your ode, which contains forty mistakes in French.^'' 
" And yet, sir, it was on the very day it was published that 
I was elected one of the Forty. Is not that a striking fact ? " 
" Oh ! I know you have wit, and plenty of it, but if there 
are two or three similar elections the language will be 
ruined." 

Lemercier told me all this, with good humor and a cer- 
tain simplicity which was, however, far removed from hu- 
mility. 



CLYIII. 

TO M. DE EEMUSAT, AT PAEIS. 

AvALLON, Friday^ June Sly 1810. 

Oh ! how delightful a thing it is to travel post,t and how 
pleasant to wait for postilions, to put on the drag, to toil 

* M. Auguste de Forbin, an amateur artist, who under the Restoration was 
made Director of the Louvre, had written a novel called " Charles Barimore." 
He died in 1841, in the sixty-third year of his age. 

f The Emperor and the Empress Marie Louise returned to St. Cloud on 
May 31st, after visiting St. Quentin, Antwerp, Brussels, Ghent, Ostend, Lille, Le 
Havre, and Rouen. Mme. de Remusat left Paris a few days later, to join the 
Empress Josephine at Aix, a watering-place in Savoy. 



256 LETTERS OF MADAME DE UEMUSAT. 

up hill, to break the traces, and at last to arrive at an inn at 
Avallon, after spending the whole day in such a cloud of 
dust that the plan of a landscape garden might be traced on 
my gown ! 

I should much like to know what Mme. Pastoret, with 
all her cleverness, could find to say here, and what fine feel- 
ings she would have experienced during the journey I have 
just made. Such heat, such a stifling wind, dust of which I 
have never seen the like, such discomfort, in fact, and such 
weariness, I scarcely had time to think of anything whatso- 
ever. Add to this the pleasant reflection that all these de- 
lights are carrying me away from you, and you will have 
some idea of the day I have gone through ! In the morning, 
however, I had experienced a little patriotic emotion ; * I 
had been affected by finding myself once more in Burgundy ; 
but my native dust has rather cooled my ardor this evening, 
and I beheld Auxerre and the banks of the Yonne with 
calmness. As for Augustine, she is in a state of perpetual 
enchantment. Although very far from Yal-de-Suzon, the 
dialect of her own country is spoken here ; she beholds the 
head-gear she was accustomed to, houses like her own, and 
she is delighted. 

1 am not over-tired. I shall reach Autun early to-mor- 
row, and will write to you on Sunday, and also to my sister, 
to whom you must tell all my news. Remember me to 
Mme. de Grasse ; next to you and Charles, it is she whom I 
most regret. I feel this, and she will believe it. Almost 
every minute I am saying, " If Mme. de Grasse were here, 
we would do such a thing ; she would say so and so." And 
I am ready to cry ! Poor thing ! she has been spending the 
evening in solitude. I have been following you in thought ; 
you are now at St. Cloud with Les Mats de Blois. It sounds 
funny at Avallon, Les Mats de Blois ! I seem to belong to 
another world, and do not know whereabouts I am. . . . 

* M. de Vergennes's family belonged to Burgundy. 



A GREAT STORM. 257 



CLX. 



TO M. DE KEMUSAT, AT PAEIS. 

Aix, Savoy, Friday, June S9, 1810. 

I AM here at last, and it was time I arrived, for I am very 
tired. Yesterday was the most fatiguing day of all, and as I 
know that it is pleasant to hear of what befalls one's friends 
on their travels, and that all I have to do is to narrate my 
experiences, please to listen. You must know that my stay 
at Lyons did not rest me much. I explored the town more 
from human respect than from any wish to see it. I was 
even then rather unwell ; and, besides, my bed was so un- 
comfortable that I passed the first night in an arm-chair. 
The second night, after much turning and tossing about, I 
suddenly sprang up at three o'clock in the morning, and 
went off to harangue Augustine, who was sleeping soundly. 
The effect of my discourse was to stir up the whole house. 
Horses were ordered, and we set off on our journey ; but by 
the time we had traveled seven or eight leagues the heat 
became stifling, the air heavy, and we were seized with head- 
ache, and with a sort of nervous affection that was most 
painful. We continued our route, however, but never in 
my life was I so ill at ease ; at last the storm broke. As we 
were nearing the mountains, a great tempest arose, with 
showers of hail that devastated all the surrounding crops in 
a moment. Fortunately, we were able to reach the Pont de 
Beauvoisin, and I waited at the inn for the storm to be over ; 
it was then four o'clock. I did not want to remain there, 
and yet was afraid to go on, and we were still, they told me, 
six hours from Chambery. At length, when the thunder 
was passing away, we resumed our journey ; but the rain 
gave' us a somewhat melancholy impression of the country. 
The Echelles road will be a fine one when completed, but at 
present it is incumbered with stone for the parapets, with 



258 LETTERS OF MADAME DE REMUSAT. 

carts, and with workmen, and is very inconvenient. "We 
had good horses and a careful driver, yet Augustine was in 
such a state of terror that I was seriously alarmed. Once, 
when we were on the mountain-side, with a precipice be- 
neath us, she was so overcome with fear that she began to 
scream. I endeavored to soothe her, but she had lost all 
control over herself. I scolded, I coaxed, but nothing was 
of any avail. I was not in the least nervous myself, but suf- 
fered a good deal from the continual jolting. I wonder 
whether you recollect that last hill, after the Echelles, in 
which the road has been cut through the rock, and only oxen 
are used for traffic ? The rain was ceasing, so I walked up, 
for the only means of relief was a change in the form of fa- 
tigue. It is really a most extraordinary road, bnt one ought 
to be in good health to go in search of a cure in this fashion. 
I arriv^ed at last at Chambery, at eleven o'clock at night, 
quite worn out with fatigue. I slept better than at Lyons, 
and this morning, at eight, we entered Aix. I am suffering 
less than yesterday, and am writing in bed, the most singu- 
lar bed in the world. There is a paillasse of wheaten straw, 
and a mattress of I do not know what material. Mme. de 
Grasse, who objects to feather-beds for me, would approve 
of this. The country through which we came seemed very 
pretty, but this village is ugly. The Empress is living in a 
small house with Mme. d'Audenarde, and I have been put 
into another with MM. de Turpin and Pourtalis.* I was 
not expected to arrive before Sunday. I found a large room 
destined for me, but without any furniture whatever. Au- 
gustine is exerting herself to procure a table, a chair, etc. 
And I am writing to you, and trying to laugh at all these 
absurd annoyances. 

* Mme. d'Audenarde, the mother of General d'Audenarde. She was I,ady- 
in-Waiting. M. de Turpin-Crisse, of the Empress's household, was known as a 
landscape painter of some talent. M. Fritz Pourtalis, also belonging to the 
Empress's household, was from Ncuehatel. His elder brother died in Paris, 
about twenty years ago, leaving a fine collection of pictures and antiquities. 



NO LETTERS. 259 

The Empress lias paid me a visit ; she is well, seems to 
be in good spirits, and goes about a good deal. I hope I 
shall not have to accompany her just yet, for I am really in 
want of rest. There are no visitors here besides herself and 
ns ; she seemed very glad to see me, and, as usual, was all 
kindness. 

This is how things are, cher ami. I shall write to you 
very often ; I foresee that will be my only pleasure. I mean 
to try and profit by the waters here, and repair the fatigues 
of my journey. I have some hopes of receiving letters to- 
day — the post comes in daily ; you must all write punctually 
and take compassion on my loneliness. I embrace you ten- 
derly. 



CLXI. 

TO M. DE EEMUSAT, AT PARIS. 

Ais, Savoy, July 2, 1810. 

What are you all about that you do not write to me, and 
especially that faithless woman on whom I relied, and who 
has failed me like the rest? What do you imagine us 
to be doing here, and with what do you expect me to be 
occupying myself ? You really deserve that I also should 
take to silence, and see that you are counting on the idleness 
of my life. Don't deceive yourself, however ; I have not 
quite as much leisure time as you might imagine. I bathe 
at eight o'clock, and then return to bed until ten. At 
eleven I breakfast at the palace, and all the rest of the morn- 
ing we read and work. The Empress, as you know, likes to 
have people about her, and does not retire to her own room 
before four o'clock, or even five sometimes. I then go to 
mine ; I read a little or I write ; dinner is at six ; after din- 
ner we walk about. I am sometimes excused from accom- 
panying her on account of my infirmities. . . . 



260 LETTERS OF MADAME DE REMU8AT. 

CLXII. 

TO M. DE REMUSAT, AT PAEIS. 

Aix, Satot, Friday, July 6, 1810. 

Mon ami, another day has gone by, and no letter from 
you. I say to myself that your week of waiting at St. 
Cloud must have left you but little leisure, and yet I suffer 
and torment myself just as if this reason for taking comfort 
did not exist. Yesterday, as we were on our way to Cham- 
bery, the Empress was met by her courier ; he was the 
bearer of a letter from the Yic.eroy, containing an account of 
the accident at the Austrian ambassador's ball.'^ It seems 
there were about twenty persons burned. I shuddered as- 1 
listened to the Viceroy's letter. I was expecting to hear 
your name, and I was in an agony. "When the Empress 
ceased reading, I burst into tears, and I know not how it 
was, but nothing could calm me ; a violent headache came 
on, and in that state I had to endure a drive of ten leagues. 
Less than this would have sufficed to make me very ill. I 
got back at eight o'clock with a frightful headache ; I 
passed a restless night, and am completely knocked up this 
morning. . . . 

CLXIII. 

TO M. DE KEMUSAT, AT PARIS. 

Aix, Savoy, Monday, July 9, 1810. 

At last I have a letter from you ! ... If you care to 
know what we are doing here, I must tell you things are just 
as usual. With the exception of a few visits from Chambery, 
we live all to ourselves. A little reading in the morning, a 

* During the grand ball given by Prince Sphwarzenberg on July 2d, in honor 
of the Emperor's marriage, a fire broke out, and a great number of persons 
perished, the Princess included. 



JOSEPHINE. 261 

drive afterward, dinner at eight on account of the heat, then 
cards and a little music. Charles de Flahault is here, and M. 
and Mme. de Chateaubriand. There is also a Mme. de Sales, 
a descendant of the family of St. Francis de Sales. She seems 
pleasant enough, but you can understand that in presence of 
the Empress there is always a certain amount of ceremony. 
Josephine herself is serene and mild. " Sometimes," she 
said to me, " repose takes the place of happiness." She be- 
haves with extraordinary circumspection ; she need say but 
one word, and the most assiduous court would be paid her. 
The authorities of the neighboring towns wished to pay 
their respects, but she declined everything, simply and with 
no appearance of constraint. Great regard and deference is 
shown for her everywhere. She speaks of the Emperor as she 
ought and when she ought ; in fact, it is impossible to show 
more tact and moderation. But notwithstanding her resig- 
nation, sometimes, when sorrow oppresses her, she makes 
me a sign, and comes to give vent to it with me. I exert 
myself to divert her thoughts and encourage her, and she 
willingly receives all the consolations that reason can offer 
her. It appears that when Charles de Flahault left Plombi- 
eres, the Queen was more seriously indisposed than we had 
thought.* The Empress is not anxious about her, but believes 
she is better. This is a chord I dare not strike. We are 
exj)ecting the Viceroy. There is a report that the Empress 
is enceinte, f I can say with truth that I have been witness 
to Josephine's sincere joy at this news ; and, indeed, such an 
event would be the reward of her great sacrifice. 

* Queen Hortense. 

f The Empress Marie Louise. The report in question seems to have been 
rather premature. However, as the King of Rome was born on March 20, 1811, 
we can but admire the rapidity with which good news is disseminated. 



262 LETTERS OF MADAME BE RilMUSAT 

CLXIV. 

TO M, DE REMUS AT, AT PARIS. 

Aix, Savoy, July l^., 1810. 

We are alone to-day. The Empress has gone to Geneva 
to see her daughter-in-law, who stopped there, being too fa- 
tigued to come on ; she will not return until to-morrow. She 
took with her MM. Pourtalis and de Flahault, and Mme. d' Au- 
denarde. The Yieeroy, whom we saw yesterday, gave us the 
melancholy details of the accident at that unlucky ball. . . . 

Our circle is very pleasant. Charles de Flahault enlivens 
us ; he has more in him and more talent for conversation than 
I should have expected ; he is very gay, he sings well, and we 
all like him. The country is really beautiful ; it needs better 
legs than mine to explore it, but I am delighted with what I 
have seen, and I hear that I shall travel through very fine 
scenery on my way to Geneva. . . . 

Mme. Cheron writes that Saint- Ange * will probably be 
elected to the Institute. Mme. de Grasse speaks of a com- 
7)iission for the prizes, and seems rather anxious about 
Spontini. Is this true ? And, by-the-by, what has happened 
to Mme. Festa, f and how have you had the heart to make 
her begin the " Molinara " again ? Why was I not there to 
protest against it ? You are really very generous to regret 
me, for I should have made a strong protest. The " Journal 
de Paris" speaks very unfavorably of the poor woman. 

* Saint- Ange, the translator of Ovid, did, in fact, succeed Domerque at the 
Academy. He was in bad health, and died soon afterward, in that same year, 
1810. " The shade of the Academician whose place I take is now waiting for 
my own," he said in the speech he made on his reception. 

f An Italian singer. *' La Molinara," as everybody knows, is an opera by 
Paesiello. 



JOSEPHINJE. 263 

CLXY. 

TO M. DE EEMUSAT, AT PARIS. 

Aix, Savoy, July, 1810. 
... It is impossible to be with the Empress without de- 
siring to repay her by sedulous attention for the pleasantness 
she infuses into one's daily life, and if I were often to shut 
myself up in my own room, or if I gave way to my natural 
depression, it would really be too selfish. She likes to be in 
company, and is amused by the stories I tell her ; I can suc- 
ceed in making her laugh. She shows her pleasure in my 
society in a thousand different ways. In short, she is really 
charming, and of an angelic disposition ; so much so that I 
know my heart will ache when I leave her, although I 
shall be so happy to be going back to you. I shall probably 
return home within the month. The Empress intends to 
leave Aix between the 15th and 20th of August. She is 
about to take a small house on the Lake of Geneva ; this will 
be her headquarters while she travels about Switzerland,. 
She wishes me to accompany her to Geneva, and not to leave 
her until she sets out on her expedition to the mountains. 
As there is not much time for all she wants to accomplish, I 
don't think she will remain long on the banks of the lake, nor 
that I shall be kept long away from you. 



CLXYI. 



TO M. DB EEMUSAT, AT PARIS. 



Aix, Savoy, July 18, 1810. 
. . . You might write at great length concerning that aw- 
ful accident * without making us feel that you say too much 

* The catastrophe at the ball, alluded to in the preceding letters. 



264 LETTERS OF MADAME BE liEMUSAT. 

about it. I am convinced that we are even more horrified by 
it here than you are in the whirl of Paris. The Empress was 
greatly shocked ; she was attached by many ties to the Prin- 
cesse de Ley en, who was, moreover, an excellent woman. 
The Emperor's danger affected her deeply ; she wept, and 
her tears gave me pain. " How strange is our situation ! " 
she said. " A bond that is still so strong, while our interests 
have become so different!" Her son's visit was of great 
service to her, and she is expecting her daughter, who is 
coming here for the season. The latter is said to be still in 
a weak and suffering condition. The Empress is glad that I 
am here ; the Queen, as you know, is fond of me, and I shall 
tend her with my whole heart. I am sure, too, that such an 
occupation will do me good ; my only comfort, when away 
from you, is in being of some little use, and that amiable 
and interesting woman is very dear to me. Lebreton * has 
written me a very melancholy letter ; he seems greatly dis- 
tressed at the death of the Princess. He, too, was very near 
going to that terrible ball. . . . 

Mme. Cheron writes that our children are studying with 
Auvray ; f if they could remain with him next year, it would 
be a good thing. I am not expecting much in the way of 
prizes ; it strikes me that our boy is working less industri- 
ously, but I have not the courage to scold him from such a 
distance. You can sermonize so well that I depute my 
powers to you. I presume that at the time of his first Com- 
munion you will say a few words of fatherly exhortation. 

* M. Lebreton, a member of the Institute and Secretary of the Class of 
Fine Arts, was a married priest, and a clever and agreeable man. He was on 
an intimate footing in my grandparents' house, and was considered as a friend. 
He vanished somewhat suddenly from the scene, and died in Brazil, whither he 
betook himself at the Restoration. His daughter married Dr. Jules Cloquet. 

f M. Auvray was at that time Professor at the head of the Fifth Class at the 
Lycee Napoleon. He was subsequently Proviseur and Academical Inspector. I 
became acquainted with him when attending the Concours General. He super- 
intended us during our compositions, and he has often spoken to me about my 
father's childhood. 



AIX. 265 

I shall lament very mucli being absent from tliat ceremony ; 
I remember how my poor mother wept on the occasion of my 
first Communion, and that tender recollection would have 
gone with me as I accompanied my son. By the way — and you 
will see that the remark is very appropriate — I have found 
time, in the midst of all the interruptions of the life I am 
leading here, to look into a serious book, which I find most 
interesting. M. Pourtalis has lent me a " Life of Zwinglius," 
written by a Swiss.* This seems to me a meritorious book ; 
I have but one objection to it, that it rather inclines me 
toward Protestantism. Mme. de Grasse will shudder at this, 
but really the Protestants, at any rate just then, seem to have 
reason on their side. If I continue in this mood, I shall come 
to your help in your discussions with her, and will bring 
Councils to bear on her. 



CLXVII. 

TO M. DE BEMUSAT, AT PARIS. 



^J 



Aix, Savoy, Fi-iday, July 20, 1810. 

The longer I am here, the more I wish for you. I am 
sure you would like this country so much, and would take 
prodigious walks with your boy ! It is really a charming 
part of the world. The mountains are less lofty and less 
gloomy than the Pyrenees, and the valley, which is more 
open, is wonderfully verdant. I made yesterday a little ex- 
cursion, adapted to my strength, to see a most beautiful cas- 
cade ; there are three waterfalls side by side and tumbling 
into each other, masses of rock breaking the waters into cas- 
cades, and at the back a little torrent rushing away through 
splendid trees. There is not the same sensation of surprise 

* This " Life of Zwinglius," the founder of the Reformation in Switzerland, 
must be Hesse's work, published in that same year, 1810. 
12 



266 LETTERS OF MADAME DE REMUS AT. 

here as at Cauterets, but one is more satisfied. The horizon 
is not so narrow, and, for my own part, I find that I breathe 
more easily here. The town of Aix is very ugly, and I have 
a dull lodging in a sort of ISTo Thoroughfare, with a high 
wall in front, which makes my room very dark. If I were 
to return here, I should try to get rooms nearer the country, 
as I am so bad a walker ; but this year it does not signify 
much, because I am constantly with the Empress, whose 
house stands on the outskirts of the village. When the 
weather is fine, I can walk over to her ; when it rains, I am 
carried in a fine glass chair, all gilt, that belonged once upon 
a time to the King of Sardinia ; and in this vehicle, when I 
am in full dress, I am the delight of the little children of 
the place, and am followed about by them, as the Archchan- 
cellor is followed at the Palais Royal. You can, of course, 
imagine that when the Empress goes out she has much 
greater crowds after her. This, in fact, is the one drawback 
to our outings. We can not take a step without attracting 
the water-drinkers and the inhabitants ; true, our being here 
is a rather important fact to poor people and gouty invahds. 
The elegant carriage, fine horses, liveries, and our own 
dresses, all make a great sensation, and, in the midst of it all, 
the sweet, gentle, kindly countenance of my mistress. Peo- 
ple come from Chambery, from Geneva, from Turin, and 
from Grenoble only to see her. She excites the deepest in- 
terest. I am pleased to observe that no one believes she has 
become a stranger to the Emperor, for she receives many 
petitions addressed to him, and people regard her as a media- 
trix between the unfortunate and him. She receives every 
one with extraordinary kindness, and does much unostenta- 
tious good in the neighborhood. She did her best to escape 
from a really embarrassing -svelcome at Geneva, and I am 
always struck with her skill in simplifying a situation that at 
first seems unmanageably awkward ; the reason is that she is 
absolutely devoid of vanity, and never aims at effect. She 
speaks of the Emperor as of a brother, of the new Empress 



ZWINOLIUS. 267 

as the future mother of the children of France ; and if what 
we hear of the condition of the latter be true, I am sure she 
will be glad. 



CLXVIII. 

TO M. DE KEMUSAT, AT PARIS. 

Aix, Savoy, Jtily 21, 1810. 

Pkay tell me how my cure is getting on ? Do you see 
him ? Is he happy ? Does he intend to remain ? Shall I 
see him on my return ? I am rather offended with him. I 
hear nothing of him ; he is forgetting me. I wrote to him 
a long time ago, and hardly expect an answer now, and cer- 
tainly I shall not write again.* 

Por the last four days the weather has been dreadful — 
rain, hail, and intense cold. It was snowing on the moun- 
tain the day before yesterday, and we had fires. During this 
wretched weather I finished the " Life of Zwinglius." The 
Anabaptists have rather cooled my zeal for Protestantism. 
I see there are objections to that religion, too ; but I like the 
book. I am now reading the Memoirs of Prince Eugene. 
The Prince de Ligne's pretense was a curious one, and very 
ill-sustained. At the second page one can see it is a mere 
invention;' and the style is that of drawing-room conversa- 
tion thirty years ago.f . . . 

* The cure is no other than M. de Talleyrand. 

f The Prince de Ligne had just published his " Vie de Prince Eugene, ecrite 
par lui-meme." It will be understood, of course, that it referred to Prince 
Eugene of Savoy, and not to Prince Eugfene Beauharnais. 



268 LETTERS OF MADAME DE R^MUSAT. 

CLXIX. 

TO M. DB EEMUSAT, AT PARIS. 

Aix, Savoy, July 25, 1810. 

The Empress wishes to make Geneva lier headquarters 
for ten days, and to travel in Switzerland. When this hap- 
pens, I shall take my flight. I am strongly advised to return 
by Lausanne, Neuchatel, and Besangon, They tell me that 
route is not much longer, and that I shall avoid bad roads. 
By doing this, I should see the shores of the Lake of Geneva, 
a great temptation to me, and I should revive some recollec- 
tions of my childhood. I think it is probable I shall decide 
upon this course. "When I arrive at Geneva, I will tell you 
what decision I have come to. . . . 

Yesterday the Empress asked me which of the two I 
loved best, you or Charles. " My husband, madame," I re- 
plied, in the tone with which you are familiar. Mme. d'Au- 
denarde looked up. " Really," said the Empress, " you an- 
swer in a resolute tone." "Madame, I answer as I feel." 
" M, de Remusat is very amiable, then ? " " Amiable ! O 
madame ! " and then I did not know how to begin, and a 
moment after I did not know how to end. " If all this be 
so, how happy you are ! " " Yes." I should have liked to 
say, " But how much we suffer in being parted as we are ! " 
I did not say this ; I restrained myself ; but the tears came 
into my eyes, and I talked I don't know what nonsense to 
escape from my thoughts. I promise you that you shall not 
have to complain of me in this respect. Kobody knows that 
I suffer from my separation from you and from my children. 
As the holiday time approaches, my heart sinks more and 
more, but no one shall be let into my secret. It is ridiculous 
to trouble other people with one's affairs, and the poor Em- 
press is sorrowful enough on her own account. The affairs 
of Holland distress her greatly, and she is much troubled 



AN EXCUE8I0N. 269 

about the future of her daughter and the position of her 
grandchildren.* I do my best to quiet her, urging her 
strongly to trust the Emperor, and also not to go faster than 
the time. At an epoch so full of strange events, an excess 
of foresight is a mistake ; one must submit and hope, and I 
say to the Empress what I believe : " The Emperor will not 
visit the faults of their father upon his nephews. You are 
placed in a painful position, apart from the action of the 
Court, while you are obliged, all the same, to feel and suffer 
from its troubles. It requires great firmness of character 
and extreme reasonableness to act wisely in the midst of all 
this." The Empress is deeply sensible of the services which 
I render her ; she is very happy to have me with her ; she 
calls me and looks for me incessantly. I listen to her, con- 
sole her, and try to amuse her by talking of other things ; for 
it weakens the judgment to dwell too long upon certain sub- 
jects, and our reasonable course is to wait, not to make long 
and anxious forecasts, and to trust to a superior authority, 
which we may be sure is a beneficent one. 



CLXX. 

TO M. DE EEMUSAT, AT PARIS. 



Aix, Savoy, July 21, 1810. 

I DO not understand what M. de Talleyrand has said to 
you. He declares that he has written to me, but as I receive 
all my other letters, I can not suppose that his only do not 
reach me, and I conclude that he has yielded to his usual 
indolence. I beg you will tell him this, but at the same 
time say that I forgive him. 

Yesterday we made a long excursion, but it was not too 
fatiguing, because it was partly by water. We drove about 

* Louis Bonaparte had just broken with his wife and with the Emperor, and 
Holland had been united to the Empire on the 9th of July, 1810. 



2Y0 LETTERS OF MADAME DE RfJMUSAT. 

two leagues on the opposite side of a lake, called Le Bourget, 
which is of considerable extent, to see the ruins of an old 
abbey, which formerly belonged to the monks of the Cister- 
cian order. The situation of the abbey is very picturesque. 
It is built on a tongue of land in the middle of the lake, 
which is surrounded on all sides by peaked and barren moun- 
tains. ]^o vegetation is to be seen ; profound silence reigns 
all around. The aspect of the place is so entirely solitary 
that I can easily conceive this retreat having been chosen by 
persons whose object was to break entirely with the world. 
The abbe}'^ is called Haute Combe. Two popes came out of 
it. It dates back to very remote times, and the remains of 
the church are very fine. Within a quarter of a league of 
this building there is an intermittent spring, which yields 
water in abundance during several hours in the day, at vari- 
ous and uncertain periods. The cause of this phenomenon 
has never been ascertained. "We remained for an hour and 
a half beside the rock, but the water did not appear, and the 
naiad was deaf to our entreaties.* On returning here, we 
found one of the Queen's Chamberlains come to announce 
her Majesty's arrival for to-morrow. This intelligence gave 
the Empress great pleasure. 



CLXXII. 

TO M. DE EEMUSAT, AT PAKIS. 

Aix, Savoy, July 30, 1810. 
. . . The Queen has arrived. She is thin, pale, down- 
hearted, and always ready to cry without exactly knowing 

* In this account of the expedition of the Empi-ess to the abbey of Haute 
Combe, the tempest which she encountered on the lake, and which made a great 
sensation at the time, is purposely omitted. My grandmother's first intention 
was to conceal the danger which she had incurred from her husband, but know- 
ing that others had mentioned it in writing, she changed her mind, and sent him 
a detailed account in a letter which has been lost. 



DEPARTURE. 271 

why. " Madame," said I to her, " take courage, and take 
care of your health. Your misfortune is not a misfortune, 
for your heart is not wounded by it. The Emperor has re- 
ceived your children perfectly well ; he takes care of them ; 
he watches over them ; they are in France ; you will see 
them again this winter. You are with your mother. You 
must think of all this ; sleep, eat, and leave the rest to God 
and the Emperor." She smiled at my little harangue, but I 
believe she thinks I am in the right. Oh ! if we could but 
limit ourselves to the evils that we must bear ! "May God 
deliver us from our friends ! " says the Portuguese proverb ; 
I would add, '* May God deliver us from ourselves ! " I have 
my reasons for saying this ; there are moments when I would 
fly away from myself, on condition, however, that it should 
be you who would find me. ... 



CLXXIII. 

TO M. DE REMUSAT, AT PARIS. 

Aix, Savoy, Friday, August 10, 1810. 

It is all settled. I shall leave Aix this day week ; there 
is no more question of Geneva and Switzerland. I shall 
come by the shortest way, to Jura, Dijon, Troyes, and Paris. 
I shall be five or six days on the road, so make your own cal- 
culation when to expect me. Do not write to Dijon, as I 
shall arrive there late, and the post will be closed. 

I am charmed with the Trianon arrangement, * because 
you can give me a few minutes sometimes. I feared lest you 
should not go there. All is for the best. Heaven is on our 
side this time ; my joy is too natural not to be approved on 
high, and I feel that I merit the happiness which awaits me. 

* The Emperor had taken up his abode at Trianon. 



272 LETTERS OF MADAME BE REMUSAT. 

Do what you can for my cousin. I approve all tliat you do. 
You are really excellent ; your kindness deliglits, but can 
never surprise me. . . . 

M. and Mme. de Tasclier arrived here yesterday. The 
poor little woman is very sorrowful, and talks a great deal 
of her mother. As you may suppose, I listen to her gladly. 
The young husband was taken ill with gout on the way, 
and so seriously that he can not put his foot to the ground, 
and is in terrible suffering. . . . 

The Empress is growing fat, and looks better than I have 
seen her. She grieves at parting with me, and I feel that 
my heart will sink at bidding her farewell, for she is very, 
very good to me. Her daughter is still extremely delicate, 
but she no longer spits blood. Peace of mind and the variety 
of a journey in Switzerland, which she proposes to make, 
will do her a great deal of good. They are to set out hence 
on the 25th, and they do not return until October. Thus, 
you see, I shall be able to pass the month of September in 
perfect quiet. I shall devote it to delightful idleness. Our 
life here is one of continual movement ; we come, we go, we 
are always together, we dress, we play cards — in short, we 
are never quiet, and that dear idleness that I love so much es- 
capes me. I am astonished that I could have found time to 
write so much and so often to you as I have done, for the in- 
terruptions are perpetual. Everybody here has been very 
amiable to me. M. d'Audenarde is a pleasant companion ; 
Mile, de Macau is charming and agreeable ; the two young 
people, attentive and polite ; Charles de Flahault, very amus- 
ing. In short, it is a little society which pleases me and is 
pleased with me ; it would not be my place to say that it re- 
grets to lose me. You know how gay I am, and they say 
there will be no more laughter when I shall be gone. It will 
now be your turn to pet me and spoil me, which I shall 
allow you to do, quietly submitting to be waited on and made 
much of. My heart beats when I think that within a fort- 
night from to-day I shall be with you ; that is my unchanged 



A BIRTHDAY. 273 

song, and von must let me sing it in every key, for I have 
no other. . . . To-morrow is my fete ; the Queen is kind 
enough to give a breakfast. You will think of me, I am 
sure, and Charles will drink my health. I do not hope for 
prizes, and I must not reckon upon them, but I feel so much 
pleasure at the thought of seeing the dear little fellow again 
that I care little about them. You are content with him ; 
he is happy ; all is well. 



CLXXIY. 

TO M. DE KEMUSAT, AT PARIS. 

Aix, Satot, August 12, 1810. 

. . . Yesteedat was my fete. Did you and the child 
remember it ? It was quite a grand day here. The Queen 
gave a charming breakfast. We went to her house, which is 
outside the town and delightfully situated ; a splendidly served 
table was set in the garden, verses were read, and a pretty 
little proverb played. My health and hers were drunk with 
great heartiness. The Empress gave me a very pretty neck- 
lace. Both mother and daughter were as charming as they 
could be, and I was quite embarrassed and moved by their 
kindness. I could have thanked them much more eloquent- 
ly if my heart had not been full of a thousand recollec- 
tions, but all this revived the sentiments of the occasion to 
an almost painful degree. 



CLXXY. 

to m. de eemusat, at kambouillet. 

Aix, Satot, August 13, 1810. 
I CAN not make up a packet for Paris without writing to 
you. I do not want to commence my budget by my letter to 



274 LETTERS OF MADAME BE REMUS AT. 

you, because I know what would then happen to me ; I should 
not know how to leave off, and time would fail me. I have 
therefore written the three little letters which you will find 
inclosed, and am now allowing myself my reward. My 
friends will not complain ; a few more days and I shall have 
fulfilled all my promises. I have not so much time here as 
might be supposed. It is true that we do not breakfast until 
twelve o'clock, but the business of drinking the waters, tak- 
ing the baths, and dressing, occupies a great part of the morn- 
ing;. Then we remain at the chateau until five or six o'clock. 

CD 

There we talk, we work, we read stupid tales, to which no- 
body listens, and which are thrown aside half finished. The 
newspapers and our letters arrive, the gentlemen sleep for a 
while, and at six o'clock we go to dress for a carriage-drive 
until eight. You may easily imagine the effect which is 
produced in a miserable town like this by the caleohe, the 
horses, and the elegant equipage of the Empress ; and, be- 
sides, her toilettes are always very impressive. The water- 
drinkers and the inhabitants all turn out to see us pass, and 
the other day the Empress said to me, " Why, we are like 
Cambaceres ! " In fact, we were followed by quite forty lit- 
tle urchins. At eight we dine ; after dinner come cards and 
music ; so we go on until eleven, and the history of one of 
our days is the history of all. You will therefore see that I 
have only one hour to myself before I begin to drink the wa- 
ters ; when I wake at six, the time when I am in the water, 
during which I read, and the two driving hours when I am 
not well enough to go out. 

The Empress went to Geneva the day before yesterday, 
and she has just come back. She traveled all night, and it 
is now six, and I am told she is about to take a bath and go 
to bed. She took leave of me in the kindest way before this 
short absence, regretting that she could not take me with her. 
In every respect it is impossible to be more amiable than she 
is, and I am very happy, notwithstanding the grief of being 
separated from you, that I had courage and strength to give 



GAYETY AND SADNESS. 275 

her this proof of my devotion. If she had been in happier 
circunristances, I should have hesitated, on account of my 
health ; but her solitude forbade any hesitation on my part, 
and up to the present time I certainly do not repent, for the 
quiet life here agrees with me. You will believe I do my 
best to enliven it. I keep my regrets, and certain secret 
causes of disquiet, to myself, and I succeed so well in being 
one person in the salon and another in my own room, that yes- 
terday M, de Toupin expressed the greatest surprise, on hear- 
ing me sigh, that so gay an individual as myself should ever 
need the solace of sighing. I answered him that I was not so 
gay as he thought. He maintained the contrary. I contin- 
ued the discussion smilingly, and nevertheless I might say 
that even then I had tears in my heart, for talking of gayety, 
and of true gayety, recalled to me that painful recollection, 
the impress of which I have never lost.* 



CLXXVI. 

TO M, BE REMUSAT, AT FONTAINEBLEAU. 

Paris, October 13, 1810. 

Mon ami., I beg you not to allow it to be doubted for a 
moment that you wish to have me with you, and to arrange 
for my being summoned to join you as speedily as possible. 
Since I have been thought of at all, 1 consider that it would 
be unbecoming on my part not to show readiness and eager- 
ness ; besides, when our child has left me, I shall be dull and 
melancholy in this big place all by myself, whereas at Fon- 
tainebleau I shall be good for something, and I want you to 

* This allusion is to her mother, whose cheerfulness she frequently mentions. 

f Mme. de Rerausat had returned to Paris, having left the Empress Josephine 
at Aix in Savoy. The Emperor and his Court were at Fontainebleau, and it was 
now a question of presenting the Empress Josephine's ladies, after their sojourn 
at Aix, to the Empress Marie Louise. 



276 LETTERS OF MADAME BE REMUSAT. 

want me. Ask the Duchesse de Montebello to fix my per- 
sonal presentation for next Sunday, on condition that I may re- 
main at the chateau after it, for 1 am not strong enough to go 
and come back and return again. If the thing can be simpH- 
fied so that I shall only be named to the Empress, then I will 
not come at all until Sunday or Monday ; otherwise I will set 
out on Saturday, if I am not countermanded, provided that I 
have a room, and the Grand Marshal has given his sanction 
to all this. I will write more at length to you this evening. 
Answer promptly, because if I am not wanted, I ought to 
know it at once. Alix has no news from her husband ; she 
worries herself about this, and does not know what to do. I 
think she would much rather take the road to Semur than 
that to Fontainebleau. Adieu. I boasted too much of my- 
self when I said I wanted to stay here quietly without you ; 
I am already weary of this separation. I have suffered so 
much this year that I assure you that I desire very sincerely 
not to pass the month of October away from you. 



CLXXVII. 



TO M. DE EEMUSAT, AT FONTAINEBLEAU. 

Paris, Friday, October, 1810. 

. . . My little preparations are made ; I can set out on 
Saturday, if I am to be presented on Sunday. If it will be 
enough to name me to the Empress, which I should like 
better, I shall not leave Paris until next Monday, but I think 
it would not do to wait fifteen days longer. Besides, as the 
season advances, my health becomes worse ; I am mnch more 
sure of myself in October than I shall be in November, and 
I would rather be at the Court when I am in a state to bear 
the bustle of it. I think I shall make out some quiet hfe 
for myself even there, in the midst of the duties to be done 
and the pleasures to be enjoyed. I can always find some 



ADVICE TO THE EMPRESS. 277 

hours for rest, which I will employ in talking with you, or 
in my own occupations. I shall take my books, my writing, 
and my work, and, if I am pretty well, the time will pass 
more pleasantly than in Paris, where I should be so long 
without you. I am bored to death here, and go to bed at 
half past eight. I brood over these last days with Charles, 
and you alone can console me for being parted from my 
son. 

He is in very good health, and working diligently. I do 
not take him to the play, lest the contrast should be too 
strong between his life during this week and that which 
awaits him, and so, not to give him pain, I do not go myself. 
In fact, I conduct myself very well ; I talk classes and school 
to him, and reconcile him to the best of my ability. . . . 
Deschamps has just left me. The Empress told him to come 
and see me, and to thank nie. She understood that all my 
advice was dictated by sincere affection. She was about to 
come here when my letter reached her ; * it was that which 
prevented her return. She charged Deschamps .to ascertain 
from me whether she ought positively to remain here, and I 
believe that the Queen of Holland also received a commission 
in the same sense. Her mother's plan is to remain at Ge- 
neva, to go to Milan, to return to Aix, and not to reappear 
at ISTavarre until the next September. Every one there seems 
to be perplexed ; I am asked for advice on all sides, but I 
can not give it. Speak to the Grand Marshal. 1 do not 
suppose, however, that there is anything for me to do, since 
the Queen is here. 

* The Empress passed the winter at Geneva, following in this the advice of 
my grandmother, which was given by order of the Emperor. 



278 LETTERS OF MADAME DE EEMU8AT. 

CLXXYIII. 

TO M. DE EEMUSAT, AT FONTAINEBLEAU. 

Paris, October, 1810. 

I MUST really tell you how well I have been managing 
since yesterday, mon ami. I have arranged for our children 
to perfection. Yesterday I was reflecting with regret that 
to-day Charles must return to school, and to that Muzine,* 
who has come back in pretty good health, but more strange 
and irritable than ever. The children, too, were anxious on 
the subject. " But who," I asked Charles, " could be put in 
his place over you ? " Charles began to consider. " JSTone 
of the professors," he said, " live at the school, and they are 
too well paid to be willing to undertake what we want. But 
there is a master in the place, named Leclerc, who would be 
very suitable." On hearing this, I sent for Amedee Pas- 
toret, who came to me and strongly recommended the said 
Leclerc, who has been appointed second professor in I know 
not which class ; he obtained two prizes of honor and twenty- 
five prizes in one year. He is a perfect Greek scholar, never 
teaches out of the school, is devoted to poetry, and knows 
both English and Italian. Accompanied by Amedee, I pro- 
ceeded to the school, and sent my carriage for Leclerc. He 
is little, very shy, and absurdly afraid of me. He informs 
me that M. de Wailly had asked him in vain that very morn- 
ing to take charge of young Thibandeau, but that he knows 
our children, and will agree to everything I wish. I then 
asked for M. de Wailly, but he was out. We consulted with 
Mme. Cheron ; she was much afraid of Muzine, thought he 
would refuse to change his quarters, and overwhelmed me 

* My father retaiued an unfavorable recollection of this man's harshness 
(Muzine was in bad health and not quite sane) ; but he was grateful for his ex- 
cellent teaching of Latin syntax, and attributed to him a great deal of his suc- 
cess at the University. 



LECLERG. 279 

with words. You know her style. I begged her not to in- 
terfere in any way, and we retired. I was at the school 
this morning' by half past seven, and spoke frankly to M. 
de Wailly about Muzine. He agreed with me on many 
points, and perfectly understands that I am determined to 
have done with him. I asked for some one to take his place, 
and the first name mentioned was little Leclerc's ! * He an- 
swers for his moral character, his attention, his capability ; I 
begged him to aiTange everything, and to bring Helen to 
dine with me on Thursday. When we had come away, 
Amedee, who was with me, wrote to Leclerc, telling him to 
appear as if the first intimation on the subject had reached 
him from M. de Wailly ; and so our business is done, the 
children are delighted, and I must own I am extremely 
pleased at having rid them of Muzine. If you can come on 
Thursday, you will see your boys, and we can go away on 
Friday. I am now expecting M. Pourtales, and am ready 
for an argument with him. I am in the vein, and hope all 
will go off well. I have heard endless stories of Muzine' s 
absurdities this morning, which prove that I have acted 
wisely. I hope you will be of the same opinion. Leclerc's 
moral character being so good, I think his youth is no objec- 
tion ; Charles and he will get on the better. He likes talk- 
ing, and they will converse ; my boy tells me, moreover, that 
he has seen him occasionally in the school, and that he can 
be severe with the pupils when necessary. I am charmed at 
getting rid of this business, for it was a great trouble to me. 
My poor boy's spirits fail in proportion as the day approaches 
for going back to school ; when he leaves me I must be with 
you, for I miss him very much. We have had some talks 

* This little Leclerc is M. Joseph Victor Leclerc, who died in 1865. He was 
a member of the Academy of Inscriptions, Dean of the Faculty of Letters in 
Paris, and author of some celebrated works on the literary history of France. 
He was for a long time my father's tutor, and was always one of his most val- 
ued friends. From his school days almost my father had assisted him in his 
translation of Cicero. 



280 LETTERS OF MADAME DE REMUSAT. 

together since we have been alone, and we agree admirably. 
He made himself most agreeable to M, Lebreton yesterday, 
and I asked him whom he liked best of all my friends. He 
replied that it was Lebreton, because he was kindest to him. 
Lebreton embraced him thereupon with tears in his eyes. 
He is a good boy, and I almost worship him. 



An interval of nearly three months occurs between this 
and the following letters. When the correspondence is re- 
sumed, Mme. de Remusat is again in waiting on the Empress 
Josephine at Navarre. 



CLXXIX. 

TO M. DE EEMUSAT, AT PARIS. 

Navarre, January, 1811.* 

I AM hoping to receive a line from you to-day, mon ami. 
Alix wrote me a few words which have done me good, but 
only you or your secretary, Mme. de Grasse, can entirely re- 
lieve my mind. While I am full of Thursday's difficulties, 
you, perhaps, are engrossed with a thousand other cares ; these 
are the delights of absence ! 

My health continues tolerably good, with the exception 
of slight rheumatic pains, which are an excuse for remaining 

* The year 1811 was one of the most peaceful of the Empire, and the birth 
of the King of Rome in March diminished many anxious apprehensions. Far- 
seeing politicians, however, and especially M. de Talleyrand, still entertained 
serious fears, founded on the Emperor's character, and, without actually losing 
all hope, felt neither secure nor confident. It was at this epoch that the Due 
Decazes said to Marechal Marmont, "We are lost, depend upon it, and the Em- 
peror is mad." During this year, M. and Mme. de Remusat were separated for a 
short time only, and there exist but a few letters written by the latter from the 
Chfiteau de Navarre (Eure), where she had joined the Empress Josephine. I 
am unable to fix the precise date of these. 



TEE COTINTBY IF WINTER. 281 

by tlie fireside. Our present abode is really only adapted 
for royalty : it is only by lavish precaution tbat we can escape 
the rigors of the season. But it must be a charming place 
in summer, and I, who have very little curiosity, nevertheless 
feel a great wish to see it again in fine weather. Moreover, 
the Empress has pleasant surroundings ; her associates here 
are kind and nice, like herself, and the town of Evreux is 
not without its charms. The greatest is its bishop. * He is 
eighty years of age, agreeable, lively, well informed, and 
ready to talk on any subject. He and I get on uncommonly 
well, and of an evening, when the card-tables are filled up, 
we enjoy a little talk, which ends the day pleasantly. I do 
not prolong it much ; you know my taste for going to bed 
early, and the Empress, who likes to sit up late over her 
cards, has no need of my services, and leaves me at full 
liberty. Our party here consists of the Duchesse d'Aren- 
berg, Mmes. d'Arberg, de Yielcastel, d'Audenarde, Ducrest, 
three or four young girls, MM. de Turpin, de Monaco, de 
Yielcastel, and Pourtales, and of Deschamps, who is admitted 
to the drawing-room, and does very well. We draw or work 
in the mornings while some book is read aloud ; then we pay 
visits to each other until dinner, or else retire to our own 
rooms to write, as I am now writing to you. At six o'clock 
we separate to prepare for the evening, as some change of 
dress is necessary, and then there are cards and music. You 
perceive that our time passes pleasantly enough, and I should 
like it as much as others do, were it not for the anxieties I 
packed up and brought with me in my traveling-bag. From 
those I hope your letters will relieve me by degrees. I con- 
trive to devote a short time to my favorite pursuit of read- 
ing, and in the gardens here there are fountains by Lenotre, 
and in the house old portraits that go marvelously well with 
the books I brought with me. I think I have already told 
you, mon mni, that I am quite reconciled to the idea of pass- 

* M. Bourlier, Bishop of Evreux, was very intimate with M. de Talleyrand, 
and stayed at his house whenever he came to Paris. 



282 LETTERS OF MADAME DE REMUSAT. 

ing a winter in the country. Your company would be no 
objection, for I feel certain beforehand that you would like 
the quiet and tranquillity, and I think that in bad weather 
the country is less dreary to look at than the streets of Paris. 
There is always some sort of verdure to be seen, and the least 
ray of sunshine gives a look of spring to the meadows. 

I have had some sensible conversations with the Empress. 
She seems to be in the best possible frame of mind, wishing 
only for quiet and the means of gratifying her tastes, which 
she cultivates that they may take the place of her memories. 
She has no wish to reside in Paris, but she is strongly bent 
on Malmaison for the cold season, and there would certainly 
be some risk in repeating every winter the experiment she has 
made with tolerable impunity this year. Her idea is to leave 
this place in the spring, to return again for the summer, to go 
away in autumn, and, perhaps, to pass next winter in Italy. 
She says that, had she known anything of this house before- 
hand, she would not have accepted it. She is alarmed at the 
almost inevitable expenditure in which it will involve her. 
In fact, the chateau is in a dilapidated state, and is a very in- 
convenient abode ; and, however undesirable it may be to un- 
dertake building operations in her position, one can not rea- 
sonably endeavor to dissuade her, when one sees how greatly 
she is inconvenienced at present. It is really good of her to 
feel so much pleasure at having me here, and when I see 
how aifectionate and caressing she is, I rejoice at the slight 
sacrifice of my vanity that I thought it right to make out of 
gratitude for all I owe her. We often speak of the Emperor ; 
she hkes to talk of him, and to persuade herself that he still 
cares for her, and she does this with the most admirable tact 
and moderation always. Mon ami, a woman's heart contains 
a thousand good things, and on several points we shall always 
be superior to you. 



GOOD SPIRITS. 283 

CLXXX. 

TO M. DE EEMUSAT, AT PARIS. 

Navarre, Friday, February, 1811. 

I HAD vowed tliat, unless I received a letter from you to- 
day, I would never write to you again ; but the oath was 
worth no more than that of a drunkard or a lover. The post 
came in, no letter for me, and yet I am at my wTiting-table, 
and the worst of it is you owe me no thanks, for it is to 
please myself that I am there. 

I am in the best of spirits this morning. The weather is 
splendid ; I shall find winter again in Paris. This is a spring 
day ; the sun is shining, the meadows are green. I am writ- 
ing, not in the chimney-corner, but close to my open window, 
and my room is scented with hyacinths and lilacs. I am 
well, and if you were with me, this would be one of the 
happy days on which, although there is not one single addi- 
tional reason for tranquillity of spirit, we yet find ourselves 
inclined to trust in life, and to enjoy it calmly, without either 
grieving over the past or dreading the future. This pleas- 
ant frame of mind is not usual with me, and can hardly 
occur in town, where some little circumstance is constantly 
happening to upset one, be it only an unseasonable visitor. 
As I was telling you this morning, I have aged. I need the 
sun ; he warms and does me good, and if he always shines in 
Provence as he is shining to-day, I believe I shall make 
friends with this part of the world. 

I read great praise of " Pirro " ^ in the papers ; our 
friends write to us from Paris that Mme. Festa and Crivelli 

* The date of the first performance of " Pirro," or " Pyrrhus," an Italian 
opera by Paesiello that Spontini had modernized by the addition of recitatives, 
will assist us to determine the date of this letter. M. Regnier, who has been 
good enough to supply me with much useful information for the notes of this 
work, tells me that it took place on January 30, 1811. Spontini conducted the 
orchestra, and it was one of the first successes under his management. 



284 LETTERS OF MADAME BE EEMU8AT. 

are restoring the right style of singing. When you see 
Spontini, congratulate him for me ; I think he must be 
pleased, and that he is now on the right track. 

I drove out this morning in an open carriage. The 
country here is very pretty and gay. I should like to come 
again in summer, and bring you with me ; for to enjoy it 
properly we must be together, and your presence will but 
enhance the beautiful sunshine. In my character of an old 
woman, I amuse myself with recollections of the past. It 
seems to me that when I was young there were oftener such 
days as this, and I recognize the same atmosphere that I 
used to breathe at St. Gratien. Mon ami, how happy we 
were ! and how we let those blessed hours slip by ! Youth 
is a season that we squander away ; we hurry over the pres- 
ent moment because we feel so certain of the future. But 
the lapse of years and a very little Court life soon cure us 
of such j)leasant improvidence, and, oh ! how sorrowfully 
proficient I have grown in the art of fearing and guarding 
not only the passing hours, but the very minutes ! 

Our time passes here in a strange way ; we are always 
together, we do very little, there is hardly any conversation, 
and yet we are not dull. You know how I like sameness ; 
it accounts for the rapid flight of time, for the same occupa- 
tions return at the accustomed hour, and we scarcely know 
whether it is yesterday or to-morrow. Ah ! if we only chose, 
life need be neither so burdensome nor so difficult as we 
make it for ourselves ; it is partly our own fault. Happiness 
and repose are close to us ; w^e move round them, we see 
them, and for the most part fly from both. All this is not 
very new, but you must listen to it, because I feel it so 
strongly that I must needs put it into words. Besides, I 
know to whom I am speaking. 

"Would you like to learn how I pass my day ? I am in 
the humor to give you an account of it. I wake at eight 
o'clock; I write numberless little notes, and then several 
pages; I rise at ten; at eleven we breakfast; then people 



GOOD SPIRITS. 285 

begin to come and go. I sing, I play chess, I work a little ; 
if it is fine, we go out ; at two o'clock there is reading aloud. 
If the book is some stupid story, I don't listen, but think of 
whom T please. Do you understand what that means ? At 
four o'clock we are free again, and I lie lazily back in an 
easy-chair, and read my " Cardinal," who is very amusing. 
At six o'clock we dress ; then come dinner, cards, music, and 
Mme. Lazy is in her bed by half past ten. We might spend 
the day worse, might we not ? Here are seven women living 
together on the best of terms ; only one of us is really pretty 
— we allow her the pleasure of knowing it ; some of us are 
agreeable, and, accordingly, have the privilege of pleasing. 
As for me, I have leave to be idle, absent-minded sometimes, 
and even sad when so inclined ; in fact, we enjoy entire 
liberty. The men of our party are polite and attentive ; 
if they were not, we should not complain ; but they are at- 
tentive because we are not exacting, and the mistress of the 
house sets us an example of sweet temper and willingness to 
be pleased. When I look around me, I feel disposed to be- 
lieve that the human species is composed of good people ; 
but if I look farther afield, if I think of you and of some 
others, I think — In truth, I think so many things that I 
will not say another word. 

I am called ; I had made my escape from the drawing- 
room to come and talk with you ; I must now go back. 
Adieu, mon ami ; by summoning me away, my friends de- 
prive you of the pleasure of listening to a good deal more 
frivolity. I was in the humor for writing. Adieu ; but it 
is a settled thing that I write no more ; it is a sheer folly to 
do nothing but think of the absent. 



286 LETTERS OF MADAME DE liJlSMUSAT. 

CLXXXI. 

TO M. DE EEMUSAT, AT PAEIS, 

Navarre, Fehvuary, 1811. 

You must receive a quantity of little letters from me, 
mon ami., for I lose no opportunity of writing to you. Mme. 
Grazzani * leaves Navarre to-morrow, and has promised that 
this shall be delivered to you the same evening. The post 
would be much slower. I wrote to you this morning, saying 
you had better send again to Mme. de la Rochefoucauld for 
the parcel you had sent to her house, for she is ill, and may 
not arrive here until after my departure ; thus the letters 
would be lost. I received one this morning from Mme. 
Cheron. She is enchanted with " Pirro." The papers are 
full of it, and so are all the letters we get ; it is, in fact, a 
splendid success, and I should like you to have some share in 
it. But to deserve well and to be unappreciated is the usual 
thing with you. I will not say that success lies in the ex- 
actly opposite direction, but I begin to thirik, so.f 



CLXXXII. 

TO M. DE EEMUSAT, AT PAEIS. 

Aix-la-Chapelle, June 21^ 1812.% 

This place is really too melancholy, mon ami ', we are 
getting quite dismal. It is raining in torrents ; it is horribly 

* Mme. Gazzani, the wife of a Receiver-General in Italy, and a singularly 
beautiful woman, had been Reader at Court. She became attached to the Em- 
press Josephine, and remained with her after the divorce. 

^ At this time the Court was becoming more and more intolerable, owing to 
the Emperor's gloomy moroseness and ill temper. 

X Mme. de Remusat had gone to Aix-la-Chapelle with her sister, Mme. dc 
Nansouty, and her second son, Albert, in the beginning of June, 1812. Her 



WET WEATHER. 287 

cold ; we liave a wretched coal-fire that covers us with 
smoke, and of the sun not a glimpse ! This bad weather has 
brought back my rheumatic pains, and I am suffering a little 
from my chest. I see that I must henceforth take the 
waters much more cautiously. They have retained their 
strength, while I have become weaker. Albert, unlike his 
mother and his aunt, does not find the place dull. He will 
not hear of returning to Paris. I can not think what the 
poor child finds to like, for he is very lonely. I do my best 
to amuse him ; but when I am tired or in pain, I have to 
send him away, and then there is nothing for him to do. If 
the fine weather ever comes, and he can go out, he will think 
Aix-la-Chapelle a paradise. Alix is well ; the baths are cur- 
ing her cold. She does well to rely on her own strength, 
and to laugh at my precautions. 

"We are at war in a small way with the Prefect. "When 
Mme. Ney and Mme. de Lavalette arrived here, he called 
upon them, while he has not even inscribed his name on the 
visitor's book for us. We were waiting to receive his card 
before calling on his wife, but we will not make all the ad- 
vances ; he has just invited us to spend the evening at his 
house to morrow. Alix thinks we ought not to go. I will 
do as she likes ; I leave her to regulate the ceremonies. I 
care little, as you know, for new acquaintances, for these 
new ones, like all the rest, could not alter the fact of your 
absence.* 

To-day is Sunday, and Charles is with you. I hope this 
deluge of rain is not universal, and that he will have been 

ideas of medicine, like those of most persons of lier tiice, were altogether errone- 
ous, and, on a careful perusal of her letters, it seems probable that tlie waters 
she took every year, at a cost of great fatigue, regret, and suffering, both men- 
tal and bodily, did her harm. Her correspondence on the subject is full of de- 
tails and complaints not suitable for publication. This will explain why her 
letters at this period are fewer in number and shorter than at the beginning. 

* M. de Lameth was no longer Prefect of the Department of Roiir ; he had 
been succeeded by the Baron de Ladoucette, who was born in 1'7'70, and died in 
1848. He was a deputy in 1834. 



288 LETTERS OF MADAME DE REMUS AT. 

able to take his ride ; I prayed that he might not break his 
neck. Tell him, when next yon see him, that my second 
pleasure consists of thinking of him ; you and he together 
may guess what is my first, if you can. 

In sober truth, mon ami, now that I have told you about 
the rain, I hardly know what else to say. Our days are 
somewhat desultory. Alix comes and goes ; Albert wants 
me for his playfellow, and the poor child puts on such a 
melancholy look when I send him away that I devote myself 
willingly to his pleasure, feeling quite certain I shall succeed 
in securing that, whereas I am gravely in doubt as to my 
own. The slight pain in the chest, from which I have been 
suffering the last two days, prevents me from writing or 
working for any length of time. Reading is my only re- 
source, and I devour Mademoiselle's * gossip. It amuses me 
because she mentions all my friends, but she terribly traves- 
ties them. In reality she understood little of what she re- 
lates. I am far better acquainted than she with all she pro- 
fesses to have seen, and I often feel inclined to exclaim, 
" Mademoiselle, with all due respect to your Royal Highness, 
you are entirely mistaken. The persons you mention never 
thought of the things you attribute to them, and I can an- 
swer for it they cared not at all for your opinion." To keep 
myself in practice, I amused myself in thus arguing with 
her ; but the good Princess is very obstinate, and I do not 
think I shall succeed in convincing her. 

I saw the mayor of this town yesterday. From what he 
tells me, my friend Lameth seems to be greatly regretted ; 
and, for my own part, it is a disappointment not to find him 
here. The Constituent Assembly was a never-failing subject 
that we had by no means exhausted. People always like to 
talk of the times when they were somebody, were it even 
for evil, and both vanity and conscience urge them to alter- 

* Mile, de Montpensier, or La Grande Mademoiselle, who died in 1693, and 
whose " Memoirs " were first published in 1729. My grandmother was enthusi- 
astic about Louis XIV. and his times. . 



QUEEN H0BTEN8E. 2S9 

nately boasting of their deeds or endeavoring to justify them. 
But in default of this subject we harp on Mr. Frizell's travels 
in Italy.* Sometimes, when he describes the beautiful Ital- 
ian skies or splendid buildings, I find myself wishing to go 
there some day ; then my thoughts revert to you and Charles, 
and I make plans that I shall never carry out. Alix is more 
consistent, and declares that the buildings of the Rue de 
Lille are quite enough for her. But, after all, the happiness 
of being with you is sufficient for me, and should fill my 
whole life ; and were my health good — I say it with due re- 
spect to all the circumstances and disappointments of life — I 
should have been too happy for this sublunary world. All, 
then, is well, since you pardon my want of health, and still 
love me in spite of my complainings. 



CLXXXIII. 

TO M. BE EEMUSAT, AT PARIS. 

Aix-la-Chapelle, June 23^ 1812. 

. . . The Queen f is suffering from the effects of the 
waters, and much depressed by the bad weather. She 
regrets Savoy, and thinks that in this rain St. Leu would 
be pleasanter than the streets here. As you may imagine, 
we all sing pretty much in the same key, and we end our 
evenings with her, with elegies on absence. We pass our 
day in our lodgings. This morning, on the sun's conde- 
scending to show himself, we went out, but were driven 
back by a storm. 

* Mr. Frizcll was one of tlie few Englishmen who remained in France during 
the war.' He was a friend of M. de Chateaubriand's, and had written a pam- 
phlet on the English Constitution. 

f Queen Hortense was at Aix-la-Chapelle. 



1 Mr. Frizell was an Irishman. — Tbanslatoes. 

13 



290 LETTERS OF MADAME BE B&MUSAT. 

Well, then, 7non ami, do not go to Lafitte,* since your 
engagements will not allow of it. I am vexed with Spon- 
tini for giving you so much trouble. This is an o]3portunity 
for showing firmness, and treating him with some severity, 
so that the others may see you always act with justice. lie 
needs a good lesson ; don't be afraid of letting him have it. 
Financial reasons will prevent your even coming here ; and 
yet health is before everything. Think of the winter ; think 
of me. I have just strength enough to endure my OAvn ills ; 
yours would be more than I could bear. . . . 



CLXXXIY. 

TO M. DE EEMUSAT, AT PAEIS. 

Aix-la-Chapelle, Monday, June S9, 1812. 

It is still raining, the weather is cold, and I have a coal- 
fire which stifles while it warms me. One of the delights of 
Paris will be to see a log of firewood ; I shall also salute the 
sun, for he remains apparently on my terrace. . . . 

I went to the theatre yesterday evening. Both Albert 
and I enjoyed ourselves very much ; " La Petite Yille " was 
the play, and was very fairly acted. There was also a 
vaudeville, in which I recognized several of Charles's airs. 
This was a great pleasure. By-the-by, I hoj)e he will write 
some verses on M. Deghen's balloons,f and on the difficulty 
of directing one's course in this lower earth. I fancy some- 
thing might be made of it. 

By going to the theatre, we missed Mme. de Salm's % 

* The estate of Lafitte (Haute-Garonne) had been repurchased by my grand- 
father from the heirs of M. Bastard, in 1809, and our family thought of settling 
there. 

f Deghen had excited a momentary interest in Paris by announcing a novel 
aerostatic experiment. He proposed to support himself in the air by wings. 

I Constance de Theis, born in 1'76'7, was the daughter -of a distinguished 
man of letters, and had shown from early youth a poetical turn. At eighteen 



''PIPELET:' 291 

(Pipelet) presentation at tlie Queen's. Slie brought with 
her an album in two volumes, full of verses bj Lemercier, 
Chenier, Lalande, and Co. She recited some of her own. 
She installed herself in the Queen's arm-chair, and displayed 
all her possessions. It seems to have been a most diverting 
scene, and I regret very much that I was not present. Mr. 
Frizell gave us a capital account of the evening. By-the-by, 
I think I am beginning to like him extremely. We were 
speaking of the men of our circle this evening, and passing 
them in review. " But you do not mention," said he, " the 
cleverest man of all, who is no other than the master of the 
house. To begin with, he is more highly informed than any 
of the others ; in the next place, he is pleasant, unaffected, 
perfectly free from self-conceit, and has something worth 
hearing to say on every subject." He has won my heart, of 
course ; as if there Avere any merit in appreciating you ! 
But in this world we naturally esteem people who say what 
is true. His words roused me ; I spoke of you. I said that 
even they did not know you thoroughly ; that life with you 
was like the cloudless sky of ISTice. I like this comparison ; 
it is so true ; and Mr. Frizell, who loves the south, approved 
of what I said. 

I am still keeping company with La Grande Mademoi- 
selle, She says things to me about Louis XIY. that I note 
carefully. My little book will be charming ; I shall make it 
my album ; quite equal to that of the Comtesse de Salm. 
Mademoiselle is much less commonplace when she comes to 
M. de Lauzun. Woipen can always write well on the sub- 
ject of love, and I have a weakness for that sentiment which 
makes me like her so soon as she falls in love. It is a great 

she wrote the well-known novel, " Bouton de Rose." She married M. Pipelet 
de Leury in 1Y89, and a few years later an opera by her, entitled "Sappho," 
was produced on the stage with great success ; then a drama in verse, called 
"Camille," which failed completely. In 1802 she married Prince de Salm-Dyck. 
Eer works were collected in 1842, and published in four volumes 8vo. She 
died in 1845. 



292 LETTERS OF MADAME DE REMUS AT 

pity you have never been able to inspire me in any way ; 
perbaps I should have been a superior person had my lot 
been different ! But, jesting apart, I really believe that a 
serious passion, that lacks the merit, or the misfortune, of 
being legitimate, greatly develops a woman's qualities. If 
Mme. de Grasse were reading this, she would say, " Here is 
another of her queer ideas, suddenly making its appearance ; 
we must let her talk." And yet, when one has never met 
with contradiction, how can one know one's deserts ? United 
to you, mon ami, one is simply happy, without deserving it, 
without effort, and consequently without meriting a reward 
in the next world. It is for this reason that I was declaring 
a little while ago to my sister that I am not what is called a 
worthy woman; she nearly beat me! You know it has 
been my conviction for a long time that I owe everything to 
you. And, as a crowning misfortune, I had to become the 
mother of Charles ! Are people to conclude from this that 
I am a good mother ? And then comes Mme. de Grasse ! 
Is there much merit in loving you all ? In good sooth, mon 
ami, notwithstanding my ill health and all the rest of it, I 
am a terribly spoilt person. 



CLXXXV. 



TO M. DE EEMUSAT, AT PARIS. 



Aix-la-Chapelle, July 3, 1812. 

I AWAKE, I look out of wiudow, I see the pouring rain, I 
heave a deep sigh, and sink back in my bed, but sleep will 
not come again to me. Then I draw up my table to write 
to you, and having re-read the dear letter I received yester- 
day, I begin. How good you are to write to me as you do ! 
Your words sink sweetly into my heart, and fill the long 
hours of absence with thousands of happy thoughts ! Ah ! 



RAIK 293 

I say it again with gratitude, I have no right to complain of 
anything whatsoever. 

I think it has never rained so much as during the last 
three days. Before this there used to be a few moments of 
sunshine ; but now there is a leaden sky from seven in the 
morning until eleven at night, and it is as cold as in Novem- 
ber. I think the waters must be bad with all this rain. The 
reservoirs are not in good order, nor properly roofed; the 
rain gets through and lowers the temperature very much. 
Albert is well, and behaves well about the shower-bath. He 
does not like it yet, but resigns himself ; I continue to be 
pleased with him. He plays every morning with the little 
Princes. As the eldest is very fond of being coachman, he 
gets on capitally with Albert, who manages the Monseigneur 
very well now, and who is hapjDy and seems to improve a 
little with all these games. The day before yesterday he 
thought proper to strike Prince Louis,* who was disjjuting 
with him ; but the Queen would not allow me to reprove 
Albert, as her son was in the wrong. Albert looked at me 
to see what I thought ; and on our return home I gave hira 
a little lesson which he understood. 

There are some new arrivals here: Mme. de Bartillac, 
who has left her card for me ; Alix knows her a little, but I 
have not seen her yet. Mme. Pappf and her sister, who, 

* The following note by my father relating to this incident may be of some 
historical interest : " I remember that at the time Louis Bonaparte was a candi- 
date for the Presidency in 1848, I was dining one Sunday with Odillon Barrot at 
Bougival, and he arrived there, as if unexpectedly, at the beginning of dinner, 
with his cousin, Jerome's son, and Abbatucci. Naturally, he took my place 
next to Mme. Barrot, and sat between her and me. I was not pleased at his 
arrival, and being, besides, no partisan of his, I restricted myself to a cold polite- 
ness. He wished for something more, and told me I was one of his oldest ac- 
quaintances in France, and that he had seen me at Aix-la-Chapelle. I replied 
that it was not I, but my brother. He persisted, so did I ; and I think he was 
inclined to believe this was a stratagem of mine to avoid any excuse for greater 
intimacy. The incident caused a certain stiffness between us during dinner." 

f General Kapp, Aide-de-Camp to the Emperor, married first Mile. Vauler- 
berghe. 



294 LETTERS OF MADAME DE EEMUSA T. 

unfortunately for tliem, are living opposite us, and who 
wanted to be incognito j they are always hiding behind 
their curtains, and will lead a dull life of it here ; and M. 
de L , who has already visited the trijpot^ where he is re- 
ceived with great ceremony. The banker gives him up his 
arm-chair, every one rises to do him honor ; in fact, he has 
become an institution. But the great attraction of all is 
Mme. de Salm. Unfortunately, she is only a bird of pas- 
sage, for I confess she would entertain me immensely. I 
met her at the Queen's the day before yesterday. She is 
certainly very clever, and so full of self-confidence, so eager 
to recite her own verses, her egotism is so unremitting, and 
yet so odd, that she is most amusing. She is connected with 
all the second-rate people of the Institute, and is for ever 
quoting Lemercier, Arnaud, Laya, etc. She never stirs 
without her album ; in the very middle of the drawing-room 
she will stand and sing verses of her own composition, and 
yet she seems to be a good woman, and very unaffected. All 
this rather tires the Queen, who is so sweet and simple in 
her ways ; but I, who am not obliged to join in the conver- 
sation, am greatly diverted by it, and I own that I shall re- 
gret this Sappho. 

I can not tell you how charming I think the Queen. 
Hers is really an angelic disposition, and she is quite a differ- 
ent creature from what she is generally supposed. Mr. Fri- 
zell, who had come here with an unfavorable impression of 
her, is quite fascinated. She is so true, so pure-minded, so 
completely ignorant of evil ; there is so sweet a melancholy 
about her, and so great a resignation as to what the future 
may bring forth, that it is impossible not to feel very strong- 
ly for her. Her health is not bad ; she dislikes this continual 
rain because she is fond of walking ; she reads a good deal, 
and appears anxious to repair the deficiencies of her educa- 
tion in certain respects. She studies closely with her chil- 
dren's tutor. Since the trouble she takes amuses her, it is 
well she should take it ; but I should like to see her studies 



PRINCE NAPOLEON. 295 

directed by some wiser head. There comes a time when one 
should learn in order rather to think than to know, and his- 
tory should not be taught at twenty-five as it is at ten years 
of age. 

Adieu, cher ami • I am grateful to you and to my son 
for being quite well. I hope we shall all be well this next 
August. If Mme. de Yintimille will lend you a little col- 
lection of Charles's verses, and you send it me through M. 
de Lavalette, I would show it to the Queen, who wishes to 
see it ; or Charles might send me his book of manuscripts, 
and I would bring it back to him. But it must be very care- 
fully forwarded. 

CLXXXYI. 

TO M. DE EEMUSAT, AT PAEIS. 

Aix-la-Chapelle, July 5, 1812. 

"We have been rather anxious since yesterday about 
Prince ISTapoleon. He got up in the morning feeling very 
feverish and sick. The fever is on him still. M. de la Serre 
does not think it is of a serious nature ; he suspects some 
eruptive malady, but is not certain as yet. The poor Queen 
is in a distressing state of anxiety. Everybody tries to com- 
fort her, but mothers are not easily comforted. In any case, 
I shall keep Albert away from the house, and I shall not go 
into the sick-room. Say nothing about this in Paris, on ac- 
count of the Empress Josephine. Her daughter might not 
wish her to hear of it so soon ; besides, it may be nothing, 
and in that case it will be better not to have mentioned it. 
The Queen's habitual ill luck makes one more alarmed at 
this illness of her son's, for, after all, it is but what many 
other children go through safely ; but some human beings 
seem born to misfortune only, and she appears to be one of 
these. May my fears prove erroneous ! 

I wrote yesterday to Mme. de Grasse, who complains of 



296 LETTERS OF MADAME BE REMUS AT. 

us in lier last letter. You would be frightened if I were to 
send you a list of my letters since we have been here. I re- 
ceive a great number, which I am obliged to answer. I find 
this fatiguing, and, between om-selves, a great labor. I 
liked writing when I was younger, but now I only care to 
correspond with you and two or three others, and, next to 
that, to write for myself alone. In early youth one likes to 
expand, if I may make use of the expression, on every side ; 
but afterward one becomes more reserved, and indifferent to 
pleasing those who are not the very first in our affections. 
This is what I ex]3erience. Every day I care less for the 
world. On one side are my friends ; on the other is a great 
guK of emptiness, with which I concern myself less and less. 
The night before last I went to the theatre and shed half 
a dozen tears over " Omasis." * It was not bad for provin- 
cial actors, as Mme. de Sevigne would say. In that dark 
and smoky theatre, full of fat Germans smelling of tobacco, 

Mme. S appeared in the loveliest toilette, and displayed 

all the elegance customary at a first night at the Opera. I 
was greatly amused by it. However, there is nothing like 
bankruptcy for having everything nice about one. 



CLXXXYII. 



TO M, DE KEMUSAT, AT PARIS. 

Aix-la-Chapelle, July 16, 1812. 

I ALWAYS said you were a bad husband, and every day 
I discover fresh reasons for supporting my theory with all 
the eloquence I possess. I was at Mme. de Lavalette's f 
yesterday. She had just got her letters, and I was congratu- 

* " Omasis," or " Joseph en Egypte," a tragedy by Baour-Lormian, was per- 
formed for the first time in 1806. 

f This Mme. de Lavalette (Mile. Tascher) is the same individual who distin- 
guished herself by her wifely devotion when her husband was condemned to 
death under the Restoration. 



MME. DE LAY ALETTE. 297 

lating lier on receiving one from M. de Lavalette. She told 
me that whenever they are separated he invariably writes 
to her every day, and that in the course of several years he 
has never failed even once. You perceive, monsieur, that 
on this point he is much more of a paragon than you, and 
on other points — well, I have my own opinion ! I must 
resign myself, however ; for " where the goat is tied, there 
it must browse." . . . 

]^ow as to our leaving this place. I think we shall start 
on the 25th — that is, on Saturday week. We have done well 
to delay a little, for I am wonderfully better ; the waters 
are warmer because of the fine weather, and by taking them 
cautiously they no longer disagree with me. So we have 
not come here for nothing, after all. 

My grumbling over your negligence as a correspondent 
is all the more gracious that a thick packet of yours has just 
been delivered to me. I shall now leave off and read it. 
Wait a moment. Ah ! ah ! in your present humor Heaven 
knows how you will take the false news of our return, and 
yet I do not think that we were wrong in delaying it. Your 
wish to see us again sets you against the waters unless they 
do me very great good. Ah ! Tnon ami^ what do you expect 
will ever do me great good, unless it be the pleasure of see- 
ing you, which really and truly does influence my health ? 

Aix-la-Chapelle is beginning to be quite brilliant. We 
shall be leaving it at its best, and, nevertheless, without 
regret. ISTumerous visitors are arriving, but society entails 
a certain amount of ceremony. We are living very quietly. 
I have not seen the Queen for a week, and from excess of 
prudence I do not even go to the Marechale's.* In the 
morning we go out, we write, and so on until six o'clock. 
We retire early, and our evenings are filled up with needle- 
work and one or two visits. Between ourselves, I believe 
that only for me, Alix would lead a different kind of life. 

* Mme. Ney (Mile. Auguie) had been a sclioolfcllow of Queen Hortense at 
Mme. Campan's. 



298 LETTERS OF MADAME DE b£:MUSAT. 

I do not interfere with her, however, but as I stay at home, 
she stays. I am not dull in her society, but I think she is 
rather dull in mine. She loves me very much, but I am 
not altogether suited to her. Keep all this to yourself, and 
if you write again after receiving this letter, say nothing 
about it. Adieu, mon ami / I must go to dinner. I have 
written every day since Thursday, and, if Albert will let me, 
I shall keep up this good habit until our departure. I have 
received the money and the verses ; * a thousand thanks for 
them. 

An interval of eleven months occurs here. 

* My father's verses have been alluded to in these letters several times. A 
taste for singing and composing songs, which he had shown from earliest child- 
hood, had been greatly cultivated at his school, where it was shared by several 
schoolfellows older than himself, viz., Amedee Pastoret, Scribe, Naudet, and 
others. He kept only a few of his compositions at that age, although he often 
thought of publishing a collection of those written at a later date, after he had 
left school. In order to prove, however, that what is said in these letters is not 
entirely the self-deception of a tender mother, I think it well to quote one of 
the poems in question ; not one of those that he sent to Aix-la-Chapelle, but 
one of the earliest that he did not destroy, and which is dated November, 1813. 
He was then sixteen, and was studying philosophy at the Lycee Napoleon, 
which subsequently became the College Henri IV. 

LE RfiVE, OU MON HOROSCOPE. 

Air — " Vaudeville du Jaloux malade." 

" On dit qu'il est un Dieu des songes " Or, voiU que mon bon genie, 

Qui s'eveille toutes les nuits, Un matin, se met dans I'esprit 

Et qui, par de vagues mensonges, De m'envoyer en cette vie ; 

Du sommeil charme les ennuis. II ouvre son livre, et me dit : 

Dfes que je ferme la paupiere, ' Mince effet d'une grande cause, 

II vient de pavots couronne : Demain, sans f ante, tu naitras, 

Grace k lui, j'ai, la nuit derni^re, Mais, avant d'etre quelque chose, 

Reve que je n'etais pas ne. (Bis.) Viens savoir ce que tu seras. 

'' Je n'ai pas besoin de vous dire " ' fitre futur, c'est une f emme 

Comment on est, quand on n'est pas ; Qui te portera dans son sein ; 

Dans sa nullite, I'on respire En attendant, voici ton ame 

Plus k son aise qu'ici-bas. Que j'ai prise au grand magasin. 

Le neant est un lieu tranquille Ne Grains rien, je I'ai bien choisie, • 

Qu'aucun bruit jamais ne troubla : C'est une ame de ma fa9on : 

Mais le detail est inutile: J'ai mis deux doses de folie, 

Vous avez tons passe par 1^. Pour une dose de raison. 



CHARLES'S VERSES. 



299 



CLXXXVIII. 

TO M. DE EEMUSAT, AT PAEIS.* 

Vichy, Friday, June IS, 1813. 
... I am quite settled, and am leading the life of a her- 
mit. We have so much time on our hands that I waste a 
little on principle. In the morning we gather flowers in a 
small garden belonging to the house ; at eleven o'clock we 
breakfast, and then go out. I have discovered some rather 
nice little walks. The country about here is neither pretty 
nor ugly. It is a plain of large extent, surrounded by grass- 
grown hills. At this season of the year all is bright ; the 



' ' Ecoute-moi bien, je t'en prie ! 
Ce registre-ci te promet 
La France et Paris pour patrie. 
Veux-tu savoir ce qu'on y fait ? 
Guide par la mode et les femmes, 
En guerre, en proems, en amours, 
Heureux, on fait des epigrammes, 
Et malheureux, des calembours. 

' ' L^, tu viendras k la lumi^re, 
Et tu criras incessamment. 
N'importe, ton p^re et ta mere 
Diront : C''est un enfant charmant ! 
Merite leur amour extreme. 
Quant ^ moi, je te reponds d'eux : 
Tu les aurais choisis toi-meme, 
Que tu n'aurais pas trouve mieux. 

' ' AprSs une sereine enfance, 
Au college tu passeras. 
Persecute par la science, 
De la science tu riras. 
En faisant ta philosophic, 
Tu chanteras sur ton pipeau 
L'amour, sans avoir une amie, 
Et le vin, en buvant de I'eau. 



" ' Pendant quinze ans, ta gaite foUe 
Par des chansons aura f^te 
Les jours d'un age qui s'envole : 
Mais adieu chansons ct gaite ! 
Berce d'une vague esperance. 
Ton coeur qui semblera s'ouvrir 
Avec ta premiere romance, 
Laisse eclore un premier soupir. 

" ' Vois-tu, le banquet de la vie 
Cesse parfois d'etre joyeux. 
Si I'on n'y goutait qu'ambroisie, 
On deviendrait I'egal des dieux. 
Pour toi, sous I'aile de ta m^re, 
Auprfes de ceux que tu cheris, 
Tache d'attraper sur la terre 
Quelques moments du Paradis.' 

" Ainsi disait mon bon genie, 
Lorsqu'4 grand bruit, notre tambour 
Vint annoncer I'heure ennemie 
Ou, pour le college, il fait jour. 
Le reveil S, I'erreur m'enleve ; 
Revenu d'un premier emoi, 
Je n'ai rien perdu de mon reve, 
Car j'ai trouve que j'etais moi. {£is.) " 



* In 1813 Corvisart ordered Mme. de Remusat to Vichy, the waters at Aix- 
la-Chapelle having done her serious harm. She had been very unwell all the 
winter, and was falling into the habits of an invalid. She had, however, taken 
her turn of service as Lady-in-Waiting to the Empress Josephine at Malmaison, 
and had started for Vichy on June 12, 1813. 



300 LETTERS OF MADAME DE REMU8AT. 

corn, the fruit-trees, and the vines are in their prime. There 
is a hill that reminds me of the Valley of Montmorency. 
There are nice walks in the neighborhood, and we do not 
need horses. We return to the house about noon. Albert 
is really a good little fellow ; he brings the tears to my eyes 
twenty times a day. He is my only occupation, and all that 
I do is with reference to him. At two o'clock I send him 
out for a walk with his attendant. They walked nearly two 
leagues yesterday without the least fatigue. Meanwhile, 
during their absence, I work or read or pray; I review my 
past life, and endeavor to disentangle my thoughts, and to 
reason with myself. At four o'clock Albert comes to me 
again, and we read " Cinderella " while waiting for dinner, 
after which I take a walk ; and yesterday I made a few visits. 
I intend to devote this part of the day to social duties. I 
come in .at eight o'clock and play dominoes with the boy 
until his bedtime ; I sit up until ten, and then I, too, go to 
bed. 

After this fashion, 7non ami, I have passed my days since 
Monday, and shall continue to pass them in the same way 
unless my health should unfortunately interfere. I shall not 
be inconvenienced by society here ; there are several inva- 
lids, and people live as they like. I paid my visits yesterday. 
Mme. Ducayla, * the mother, was at home ; she is very nice 
and gentle, with an appearance of suffering that grieved me. 
She would like M. de Jaucourt to accompany the Queen, who 
is expected to arrive here to-day. Her daughter was out. 
I left my name at Mme. de Choiseul's and at Mme. d'Au- 
mont's, who goes by the name of " the Duchess " in this 
place. I have for a neighbor Mme. Jars, the wife of a re- 
ceiver-general. She confided to me her complaints of the 
bad food given to the horses here, and the uselessness of the 

* Mme. Ducayla was sister to M. de Jaucourt. Her daughter, or rather her 
daughter-in-law, became celebrated, as every one knows, under the Restoration. 
Mme. Jars, of Lyons, obtained a divorce shortly afterward, in order to marry 
Ellevion the actor. 



L YE-MAKINO. 301 

horses on account of the bad roads. Mme. d'Orvilliers is 
here also, but I did not find her at home. And these are all. 
I have not yet spoken to a single man ; I see them passing 
my windows both on foot and on horseback, but they do not 
seem desirous of my acquaintance, nor am I of theirs. Mme. 
Regnault is expected ; I shall be just as well pleased if she 
delays her coming a little while. I have now given you a 
faithful account, which would hardly be amusing but for the 
interest one takes in all the sayings and doings of those one 
loves. I have been tolerably well all the week. The doc- 
tor * is so busy that I have only caught a glimpse of him ; 
he is well spoken of, and liked by every one, and is very 
clever. I am going presently to his house to pay him a little 
visit. 

I have received a charming letter from my sister ; I wrote 
to her yesterday. She tells me that nobody had yet heard 
from me, and she writes on Tuesday ! I posted a short let- 
ter at Montargis on Saturday ; it must have been lost. A 
severe storm had forced me to remain six hours in a cottage ; 
only for that I could easily have reached Briare, f notwith- 
standing the wretched posting arrangements in the neighbor- 
hood of Paris. During the storm I amused myself watching 
the love-making between a servant-girl at the inn and an 
hostler, who were very little incommoded by my presence, 
and were taking advantage of the storm and of the absence 
of the girl's kinsfolk. Gestures were more abundant than 
dialogue between them, and I thought as I looked on of the 
difference made by education in people's notions of a subject 
which each one develops after his own fashion. A big brush 
was used to lay on the colors in this instance, as ma chere 
amie % would say ; yet there was something about it more 

* M. Lucas. 

\ Briare is a small town in the department of Loiret. In one of the letters 
I have suppressed, a pretty chateau was described with admiring envy. She 
alludes here jestingly to this. 

\ Mme. de Sevigne. 



302 LETTERS OF MADAME DE EEMU8AT. 

frank and natural, and there was also the feminine instinct, 
everywhere the same, to impart artifice and coquetry to the 
girl's proceedings. I am inclined to think that education 
makes more difference to men than to women. To whatever 
class a woman belongs, she is well aware that she must affect 
to part reluctantly with that which in the end she is willing 
to grant. 

When the storm was over I left the loving couple and 
reached Montargis at eight o'clock. The next day I trav- 
eled through the beautiful country of which I told you, and 
began bargaining for my chateau, where I want to make ar- 
rangements to sleep on my way back ; or I can do so at my 
friend the postmaster's, in case you should have delayed send- 
ing your aiithorization. It is four leagues beyond Briare, 
coming from Paris. ISTevers is an ugly and uncomfortable 
town ; Moulins is better, and Yichy very ugly indeed. 

You may imagine that I often think of Mme. de Sevigne ; 
I inquire for her and for her house. If I found it, I should 
almost be tempted to leave my name there ; but when I 
speak of her, no one can answer, I know more about her 
than the people here. 

I read Grimm's * rubbish as I came along ; it is just the 
thing to take up during a day's journey. It occurred to me 
that we are very silly to attribute so much importance to the 
Present, which is of so little account when once it has be- 
come the Past. All the extracts he gives, all the little anec- 
dotes of the day, the society verses, the eagerness of every 
one over a thousand trifles, are tiresome to read of, and yet 
these things pretty well sum up the life of the rich in a great 
city, and occupy the greater part of our time. There is some- 
thing pitiable in all this. Happy am I to be able to devote 
my life to loving and being with you ! Ah ! mon ami, life 
is worth living, and it is worth coming to Yichy in the en- 
deavor to retain it. . . . 

* " Grimm's Letters " had just been published, in 1812 and 1813. 



THE PBINCE8SE DE ROHAN. ' 303 

CLXXXIX. 

TO M. DE KEMUSAT, AT PAEIS. 

Vichy, Sunday, June SO, 1813. 

. . . To-day is Sunday. I went to Mass. The Queen * 
was there, so was everybody else; she saw me among the 
crowd, and came very kindly to speak to me. On my way 
back I met the water-drinkers, to whom I paid my civilities. 
I have called upon a stout Princesse de Rohan here, who 
seems a good sort of woman, and made great advances, say- 
ing she knew all my family ; can you tell me, any of you, 
who she is ? I have seen M. de Boisgelin, and M. d'Har- 
court, and M. and Mme. d'Orvilliers. f You will not be 
much interested in all this ; neither was I ; and I returned 
to the house and to my desk. Mme. de Sevigne says that, in 
order to take the waters properly, one should be sjpensierata ,' 
and you say the same when you tell me to forget everything ; 
but you will admit, mon pauvre ami, that this is not easy. 
However, I am domg my best, and making the most of my 
little stock of common sense and patience. 

You overwhelm me with your account of your exertions 
about the Comedie. All these pleasures seem to augur well 
for peace. Charles writes to me that he fears you also may be 
sent for ; I don't know whether to wish it or not — what say 
you ? I foresee that your journey is at an end ; :{: and this dis- 
appoints me a little, but yet I can understand your remain- 
ing. I must resign myself and wait, and take Kf e, at present, 
much as I take it at Yichy — that is, not looking beyond each 
day. Mine, de Yintimille writes to me that she has gained 

* The Queen of Spain, wife of Joseph Bonaparte. She was at Vichy with her 
sister the Marechale Bernadotte, Princess, and subsequently Queen, of Sweden. 

f M. de Boisgelin and M. (afterward the Due) d'Harcourt were slightly re- 
lated to each other. M. d'Orvilliers was the son of a valet de cliamhre of Louis 
XVI. He died a peer of France. 

X A journey to Lafitte which did not take place. 



304 LETTERS OF MADAME BE RtMTJSAT. 

her lawsuit, Mon cousin '^' has also sent me a kind certificate 
of friendship. He protests in every way that he loves me, 
that he regrets me more than anybody, and that his life is 
going to be dreadfully dull. I concede his affection for me, 
and that he would have preferred my not leaving Paris ; but, 
in order to carry on the argument, I shall not yield the last 
point, and I shall tell him that I believe there are persons 
who love me even better than he. 

Monday. 

It is not raining to-day, and I am in a better humor; 
you must resign yourself to hearing of all the changes in the 
weather from me. First, because the sun is very important 
here, and, secondly, because the doctor forbids us the waters 
when the weather is damp, on pain of fever, and that a day 
without the waters counts in the matter of absence, though 
not in the matter of treatment. However, it does not rain, 
but it is cold, and I am still living in smoke. I went yester- 
day to visit the hospital which is situated in old Yichy. It 
is a large, clean house, kej)t by Sisters of Charity. They 
were at vespers when I arrived. I returned thither this 
morning. They were anxious to see me, and were already 
great friends with Albert. I was charmed with the appear- 
ance of these good Sisters, and with their expression of re- 
pose ; their speech is full of Divine Providence, and their 
welcome was most cordial. They received me first in their 
surgery, where, as you may imagine, I felt quite at home. 
They took me through the wards — four very large rooms, 
for men, children, and women. They have baths ; they feed 
the poor, while they are themselves extremely poor ; for 
their sole resources are a small farm worth about four thou- 
sand francs a year, and the collection made for them every 
season ; but with those small means they relieve much suf- 
fering. God helps them, they say, and they never find 
themselves obliged to deny an alms to any supplicant. 

Two or three of them are young — one is a really beauti- 

* M. Pasquier. He was at that time Prefect of Police. 



SISTUBS OF CHARITY. 305 

f ul girl ; the others are old. The Superior told me she was 
anything but happy when set at liberty during the Revolu- 
tion, and that she had resumed her njin's habit, and the du- 
ties belonging to it, with dehght. When I told her that I 
venerated her state of life, she answered, with the greatest 
simplicity : " Ah ! madame, you who are in the world have 
many more duties and difficulties than we, and much more 
merit in the sight of God ! You are continually tried ; while 
as for us, we have some little labor indeed, but such inward 
joy that we must almost fear it will be reckoned against us 
some day." I confess that I was so much touched by these 
words that my eyes were wet. They showed me their chapel, 
where I prayed heartily, and promised to come there to Mass. 
I foresee they will often have my company. As I w^as going 
out, I met the pretty nun I told you about ; she is in delicate 
health, and has come from E^evers for the waters. I smiled 
when she said ]N"evers and thought of " Yert-Yert," and I 
came home with a mixture of serious reflection and lively 
thoughts that made my walk interesting and amusing. 

The Comtesse Laure* arrived yesterday, with two car- 
riages, a courier, and a good deal of fuss. The house was 
quite upset ; every kind of honor was paid her, for she is 
the real " comtesse " of the house, while I glide in silence 
through all the commotion she makes. She brought a lady 
with her, and some man, I know not whom ; perhaps she 
took literally some note like the one I received from M. 
Lucas. Do you remember? I mean the wax candle, the 
chocolate, and the humble servant. I saw the Queen and 
the Princess of Sweden for a moment on the Promenade; 
not being " countesses," they make no fuss. Mme. de Mag- 
nitot is in attendance, and also M. de Jaucourt,f with whom 

* Mme. Kegnault de Saint-Jean d'Angoly was by birth Mile. Laura de Bon- 
neuil. She was considered very handsome. 

f The Comte rran9ois de Jaucourt, nephew of him who labored so ardently 
and so successfully at the " Encyclopedic " of Diderot and D'Alembert, was 
born in IVS*/. He was a gentleman-like and most agreeable man. He held 



306 . LETTERS OF MADAME BE R^MUSAT. 

I passed part of yesterday evening, and whom I like, as you 
know. His sister is very pleasant, and makes me welcome. 
The gentlemen here pay me very little attention as yet. Is 
this a good or a bad sign ? I shall ask my little Sisters of 
Charity the next time I see them, for I am tempted to con- 
sult them about everything. 



cxc. 

TO MME. DE EEMUSAt's SON CHAELES, AT PAEIS.* 

Vichy, Tuesday, June 22, 1813. 

You are a rogue, M. Charles, allow me to tell you. You 
are not in the least in earnest when you try to persuade me 
that you are afraid of writing to me lest I should find your 
letters tedious. You deserve I should let you believe the 
very worst on that point by way of punishment. Unfortu- 
nately, I do not know how to lie with an air of truth in this 
matter, and, in the second place, you would not believe me. 
So, my dear child, I will merely say your letter amused me 
very much, and that if you want me to endure my exile 
patiently, you will write to me very often. I will allow you 
to put loops to your ^'s, and to use as many hyphens as you 

some post at the Court of Spain. He had been a member of the Legislative 
Assembly, and was a great friend of M. de Talleyrand. He was a member of 
the Provisional Government of 1813, Naval Minister under Louis XVIII., and 
finally Peer of France under the Eestoration and the Government of July. He 
died in 1852. He was the real head of the Protestants in Prance. 

* My father had preserved a great number of little notes that his mother 
had written to him in his childhood, in which her maternal tenderness was ex- 
pressed with grace or with gayety. I consider her affection for him has been 
made sufficiently apparent in her letters to her husband. But in 1813 my father 
was sixteen years of age, and some of her letters to him are worth preservation. 
He was destined to become, in subsequent years, her most active correspondent. 
I select for publication here only one of his letters, in which I believe there is 
proof of a development of mind very unusual at his age. 



TO CHARLES. 307 

please, etc., and I shall receive everytliing witli delight and 
gratitude. 

I have much less to tell you on my side. I could certain- 
ly write a certain endless chapter, but, in the first place, you 
do not like to have your feelings touched, and, in the second, 
I do not want to touch my own ; and if I once began I know 
not how it might end. I find absence and the complete iso- 
lation in which I live very hard to bear. Affection apart, if 
indeed the love of a foolish mother can be put on one side, 
it is difficult to find an equivalent for the pleasure of being 
with you and your father. I do not even seek one ; mem- 
ories of the past and a faint gleam of hope, on which I dare 
not reckon as yet, since it is very distant, keep me up pretty 
well. I walk out ; I think ; I build castles for you, not in 
the air, believe me, but close to Paris and to me ; I ask God 
to preserve you ; I read ; I teach Albert ; and the time slips 
by, for, happily or unhappily, time never halts. 

But can you guess what I am reading ? Pretty well, I 
fancy. My beloved Mme. de Sevigne. I have never read 
her so thoroughly before, and I am charmed. But what, 
think you, is the consequence ? Why, that I feel ashamed 
and disinclined to write afterward ! I should like to copy 
out her letters and send them to all of you. I might cer- 
tainly sign my name to all the affectionate things she says to 
her daughter, and address them to you without any hesita- 
tion. That dear and charming woman has felt everything, 
and said everything, and if I do not copy her, I must restrict 
myself to telling you simply that I love you with all my 
heart, which will be neither very new nor very amusing. 

I do not know why you do not like M. de Yillemain's * 

* M. Villemain, born in 1Y90, was already a professor at the Lycee Charle- 
magne, and Maitre de Conferences at the Ecole Normale. He had just obtained 
a prize at the Academy for his " Eloge de Montaigne." He afterward became, 
as every one knows, a great author, and died in 186*7. As to the writer of the 
" Desert," it is probably M. de Chateaubriand, who had just brought out his 
" Itineraire de Paris k Jerusalem." 



308 LETTERS OF MADAME BE EEMUSAT. 

quotations. I like some of them ; but, at any rate, I agree 
with, you as to tlie yonng professor's prose. It is not at all 
juvenile, and lias a flavor of tlie olden days that I love so 
much. Yon will perhaps say : " But if you admire his style 
so much, how can you also admire that of the author of ' Le 
Desert,' which is very dissimilar ? " My dear boy, one must 
try to like everything as much as ever one can. 

Every day I receive fresh versions of the death of poor 
Mme. de Broc,* and of the reflections occasioned by it. All 
those who write to tell me of it think it necessary to descant 
on the readiness with which Death lays hold of us, and God 
knows how ill suited to me, as I am here, are all such melan- 
choly thoughts ! It is true, nevertheless, that we must needs 
think sometimes of that our inevitable end, and meanwhile 
live well in both senses of the term, which are by no means 
the same, and yet may be completely harmonized. . . . 

Do not forget to tell me how you are now placed, and 
what are your expectations for the next examination, and 
also whether M. Leclerc has spoken to M. de "Wailly, and 
then beg your father to ask M. Yillemain to dinner some 
Sunday. I want him to keep all my little circle together, 
that I may not feel quite lost on my return. 

Mme. Cheron tells me that her son made her very happy 
by writing her a nice letter on his seventeenth birthday. 
TeU Henri this. To hear of the pleasure felt by his mother 
will give him pleasure too, for he also is an excellent son. I 
wonder why I say also f Can you explain this association of 
ideas ? If you can not, you must ask your father, who has 
been greatly pleased by all your little attentions to him since 
I left you both. Ah ! you are trying, perhaps, to console 
him for my absence ? That is too much ! I must make 
haste to come back, for you might get on so well together as 
not to leave me the least little place between you. 

Adieu, my dear and good child. Above all, keep quite 

* Mme. de Broc, a friend of Queen Hortense, was accidentally drowned in 
her presence, while visiting a waterfall at Aix in Savoy. 



AT THU BATES. 309 

well, and, next to that, love me. As for me, I sliall con- 
tinue to take the waters, and to bathe in them, so as to be 
stronger this winter. All I ask from God is strength enough 
to watch your life and to see you happy. Once again, adieu. 
I feel that tears are very near, so I must fly from them. 



CXCI. 

TO M. DE KEMUSAT, AT PAJRIS. 

Vichy, Sunday, June 27, 1813. 
I LIKE being near the Ducayla household ; we suit each 
other admirably, and yet without interfering one with the 
other. I see little, however, of M. de Jaucourt, who is 
obliged to be frequently in attendance on the Queen, and as 
she lives in JLe Grand Yichy, our lives are quite apart. I 
meet this kind and unaffected little Queen at the spring 
every morning. She comes on foot to drink her glass of 
water, quite quietly and alone, in a simple gray silk gown, 
with a parasol in her hand. The Princess of Sweden is here, 
trying to get cured of something in her blood, which quite 
spoils her complexion, and makes her melancholy and in- 
cHned to solitude. I go to see them now and then in my 
morning dress, and that is all. When I come to think of it, 
if you were to ask me what I do most, I should say I walk 
more than anything else, and I am consequently quite 
sleepy by nine o'clock. Pray tell Mme. Cheron and Mme. 
de Grasse to make their minds easy, and that I am not a bit 
clever in this place. I never take up a pen except to write 
letters, and, with the exception of those to you, I make them 
as short as possible, the waters being a good excuse. It 
wearies me to write letters. I have always to speak of my- 
self, and repeat the same things, and when I have just fin- 
ished a letter to you, or to Mme. de Grasse, who is almost 
you, I have nothing more to say. Good-night. 



310 LETTERS OF MADAME BE R&MUSAT. 

Monday^ 28th. 

After writing to you yesterday, I spent an hour with 
young Mme. Ducayla, who is a pleasant and a good woman. 
We had some agreeable conversation. Like me, she wants 
to be religious. She often sees the Abbe Duval,* and likes 
him ; so, you see, we had a good subject for our talk. I told 
her of the uneasiness I sometimes feel at the large share of 
happiness that you bestow on me, and which must find its 
makeweight somewhere. ■ This gave me an opportunity of 
speaking of you, and when I had begun on that topic, I did 
not soon come to an end ; and then I said a word or two 
about Charles, and, in short, about all my happiness. But I 
fancy, now I am on the subject, that you are afraid I may 
go to an extent that would be inconvenient to you in the 
matter of piety. Do not alarm yourself. I am far, indeed, 
from any deep devotion at present. My will is good, but 
the least thing discourages and cools me, and I can not ex- 
plain why; but my imagination, which plays a part in 
other feelings or actions of my life, is not excited on the 
subject of religion. On the contrary, the occasional medita- 
tions I make on that subject lead me to calm and serious 
reflections ; therefore you may be quite at ease, for I am still 
far from becoming a good Carmelite. 



CXCII. 

TO MME. DE EEMUSAt's SON CHAKLES, AT PAEIS. 

Vichy, July 7, 1813. 

I SHOULD have written to you again before now, my dear 
boy, only for the monotony of my life liere, which furnishes 
me with nothing to tell you. There is one subject which 
could not easily be exhausted, but I know you dislike having 

* The Abbe Legris-Duval was a clever man, of gentle piety, and a great 
favorite in the Faubourg St. Germain. 



TO CHARLES. 311 

your feelings ever so slightly touclied ; and, besides, it would 
interfere with the vow of patience which I made on arriving 
here. So I cut short all my regrets and all my tenderness, 
and I sit opposite my desk without venturing to refer to 
them. Yet I must not be an ungrateful mother either, nor 
omit to tell you that your dear letters are the greatest plea- 
sure of my solitude. 

Your father is right in saying that I do not wish for your 
philosophical treatise. You must know that since I have 
been here I no longer care to write. With the exception of 
a few occasional letters, I do not touch a pen ; for writing 
tires me, and is, besides, against my doctor's advice, and you 
know my reverence for the Faculty. What do you think of 
my new passion, which, perhaps, you have heard of, for the 
doctor here? Thanks be to Heaven, we have now three 
doctors in this house. If we are not well in health, we are 
at least sm-e of dying according to rule. But my doctor is a 
very pleasant man ; he agrees with me about my favorite 
century, reads Massillon to me when I ask him, and has a 
portrait of Mme. de Sevigne in his room. How could any 
one resist such attractions? His society is certainly the 
pleasantest I have met with here, and the only companion- 
ship I care to seek. Toward other people I own that I am 
rather unsociable, and I prefer my rambles with Albert, and 
thinking of you, or reading over your letters and Mme. de 
Grasse's (with or without comparison between them), to 
talking of the waters and their effects with everybody I 
meet at the springs. 

I can see that you, too, are leading a quiet, regular life. 
Your father has taken a liking to his occupation that you 
will not find contagious, and that we shall laugh at when I 
come home ; for laugh we shall, since you say that my so- 
called melancholy suits well with your bright temper. I 
assure you that this gayety of mine that you have discovered 
is a kind of reflection of your own, for here I can hardly 
perceive it. By seeing you, and listening to you, and ob- 



312 LETTERS OF MADAME DE R^^MUSAT. 

serving your liappy nature, I am invested, it seems, with a 
character that disappears with you. I ought to be ashamed, 
perhaps, that the humor of a mother should depend in such 
fashion on that of her son, but the fact remains, and I de- 
cline to investigate the depth of such an offense against 
maternal dignity. 

But, though I do not write or do my woolwork, neither 
do I. read anything to speak of. " But, mamma, how do 
you employ your time ? " My dear son, I take the waters, 
I bathe, I eat, and I sleep. What more would you have ? 
I have, however, begun your " Discours sur I'Histoire TJni- 
verselle." I don't know why, I find it rather dull. Keep 
this a secret. It is because I am quite stupefied by it. I do 
not understand how one can help getting into confusion 
amid such admirable order. I have already thought it over, 
and get lost among those brackets. You will set me right. 
My favorite work * is the only one that I can stick to. I 
am quite distressed at the death of the Due de la Bochefou- 
cauld, which I learned yesterday. By-the-by, he used to say : 
" We have not sufficient strength to follow out our reason " ; 
and Mme. de Grignan used to say : " We are not sufficiently 
reasonable to follow out our strength.''^ What do you think ? 
Which of them was right ? If you are for Mme. de Grig- 
nan, I will tell her mother, who will be delighted, and M. 
de la Eochefoucauld will not mind, as he is dead. 

I brought with me here a volume of selections from Mas- 
sillon that I should like you to look at. They are models of 
thought and style. I should wish you, my dear boy, to like 
Massillon, and to be helped by him to be a good Christian. 
Your friends of the time of Louis XIY. were such, and were 
none the less great men. 

But to return to our own times. Tell me what is going 
on at the Institute since the death of Cailhava.f Are you a 

* Mme. de Sevigne's Letters. 

j Cailhava, a member of the French Academy and a dramatic author, had 
just died, on June 20th, in his eighty-third year. 



TO CHARLES. 313 

candidate ? I would certainly vote for you. Tell me about 
the prizes, and try to get some, for my sake, if not for your 
own. I do not like you to be so philosophical ; it does not 
suit with your youth. ISTothing is good before its time. The 
age of indifference will come quite soon enough. As for 
me, I feel very great ambition for you. For your sake, I 
have become a schemer ; and it would take little to fill me 
with envy on your account. Only remark the vices I shall 
owe to you ! 

Do write those verses and send them to me ; above all, 
let there be one for the Feast of St. Clare, whether I am 
there with you or still here. Adieu, my dear boy ; the sun 
is setting, and I can not see to write. I too will go to bed. 
Adieu, my dear and good son. I must tell you sincerely 
that you are the joy of my heart, and, indeed, of my mind 
too, and I think I am very silly, and shall end by making 
you ungrateful for so much love. 



CXCIII. 

TO MME. DE EEMUSAt's SON CHAELES, AT PARIS. 

Vichy, July 10, 1813. 
You are the dearest and best son in the world. This is 
a truth that I will defend at the point of my eloquence, or, 
rather, that 1 shall have no occasion to defend, for I shall 
meet with no one to controvert it. Meanwhile, I feel it to 
the core of my heart, and I own that I thank God for the 
child he has given me. I must inform you, however, that, 
notwithstanding all your good qualities that I love so much, 
I think you are a little roguish toward your mother. Tou 
praise that poor woman very much ; you feel you must gain 
her good graces and correct her natural antipathy, and, in 
default of anything better, you compliment her on her letters. 
Alas ! my child, I do not know what you can find of any 
14 



314 LETTERS OF MADAME DE REMITS AT. 

value in what I write to you. I seem to liave scarcely an 
idea in my head in my solitude, and as to my feelings, you 
know I have made a vow of silence about them. But it is 
all the better for me if my emptiness pleases you. 

There is some truth in what you say of the facility with 
which women can write. I can hardly give a reason for it, 
unless it arise from our habit of attaching greater importance 
than men do to the thousands of little daily occurrences 
which arouse emotion in us, and we are thus led to talk of 
them with more liveliness and interest, but without making 
too much of them ; for it is a feminine gift to touch lightly 
on everything, without pausing on any. Observe the piquant 
turn which a Parisian lady of society can give to the conver- 
sation in her salon / how skillfully she eludes an embarrass- 
ing dissertation, and how she contrives to include in one 
general conversation a number of men, who all want to talk, 
but who would often have said nothing if they had not been 
drawn on, or if their interest or their vanity had not been 
awakened by some adroit word or other ! This is the grand 
art of women, 'and the reason that there is no real society 
except in countries where they hold a certain place. True, 
this is said to have its drawbacks; but it is the business of 
you gentlemen to defend yourselves, and it is ours to take 
advantage of your need of our modest means of pleasing 
you. To return to the letters. I assure you that yours, too, 
give me extreme pleasure. Tou write very well, because 
you write naturally and pleasantly. All that you write is 
exactly like yourself ; in a letter of yours there are a thou- 
sand different things, just as there are in your own head, and 
the bright tints of your sixteen summers animate the whole. 
I thank you for calling me your hest friend. Remember, 
my dear boy, that you have given me this name, and that I 
shall not relinquish it. To tell you the truth, I had reckon- 
ed on it in a measure, but I like you to assure me of it. In 
a few years you will be entering the world ; you will make 
friendships of your own ; you will meet with both joys and 



TO CHARLES. 315 

sorrows. In the latter case especially, I would wisli you to 
think of me, and to feel the need of confiding in me. "Wc 
may not always be able to cure these sorrows, for grief, in 
this world, has a tenacious grip ; but it would be strange 
indeed if we could not assuage them in some measure. 
There is, moreover, a sweetness, that you will know some 
day, in confiding in a person who understands you, and can 
even divine your feelings. Confidence is one of the best 
gifts given to us ; your confidence will be the reward of my 
tender affection. 

The thought that you are now going to love me as a 
friend, after having during your childhood loved me as a 
mother, brightens my life, and makes it delightful and serene. 
But this, too, is a subject which I must cut short. How dif- 
ficult it is to keep one's heart out of the conversation in 
writing to one's child ! But now to business. You think 
that M. Fercoc * requires too much of you, and that your 
youth also makes requirements that you can not refuse to 
hear. You would be wrong not to listen to it ; one must 
be civil to every one, and not snub poor Youth — who, be- 
sides, presents itself with such grace — too rudely. It bids 
you to seek pleasure ? And who, my dear child, could say 
that this is wrong ? M. Fercoc, or, rather, wholesome phi- 
losophy, would certainly aUow that this short life may be 
brightened ; only they warn you beforehand to avoid those 
pleasures that would sully your soul and would oppose them- 
selves to the inward content that can resist all things, and in 
which the true independence of the mind consists. " But," 
you will perhaps say, " I do not care particularly for inde- 
pendence of mind." Let me explain : there is independence 
and independence. Yield sometimes to an amusement that 
pleases, to a feeling that interests, to a pretty face that no- 

* M. Fercoc was a disciple of Laromiqui^re and Professor of Philosophy at 
the Lycee. My father was at that time In the second class, and in those days 
philosophy was studied by way of supplement in the second and in the rhetoric 
class. 



316 LETTERS OF MADAME DE REMUS AT. 

tices you ; but retain to yourself the power of doing without 
all these things, should they fail you, without feeling inclined 
to hang yourself ; and that you may be able to do this, do 
not exhaust yourself by exhausting pleasure. On the con- 
trary, accustom yourself to refuse it sometimes, substituting 
for it the satisfaction of having enhanced your strength. 
This is a compensation invented by reason, and, perhaps, also, 
by vanity, to console us under privation. Men who have 
lived and who are wise will teach you the way, not, indeed, 
to be always content on every occasion, but to render life 
happy as a whole. Believe in their theory, and take what 
you can of it into practice, adopting nothing exclusively, not 
even reason. You see that mine is an easy philosophy. Per- 
haps you like my jargon better than Fercoe's, but I know to 
whom I am speaking, and you have a clear head, and are 
quite capable of understanding everything, and abusing 
nothing. 

I am delighted that you are going up to the examination. 
I have my hopes that I cherish in secret, and consolations 
quite ready in the event of reverses. A. mother is a curi- 
ous mixture, my child, but there is really something good 
about it. 



cxcv. 

TO M. DE EEMUSAT, AT PARIS. 

Vichy, July 17, 1813. 
. . . The cousin writes, warning me against intimacies 
that might last beyond the Yichy season. My sister has 
whispered her fears to him; but tell them to make their 
minds easy. I do not usually throw myself at people's 
heads, and I shall come back as free as I departed. The 
Count is now quite well, but I hardly see him. He comes 
in, talks of the Institute or of literature very pleasantly for 
a few minutes, and then goes away and there is no more of 



PRI VA TE THE A TRIG A LS. 317 

liim. Yesterday morning three acts of " Ipliigenie " were 
performed at the house of a lady of their acquaintance. 
Mme. Eegnault acted Ijphigenia. She wore a severely clas- 
sical costume which suited her beautiful features. Her voice 
is good, and that is enough when backed by Racine and a 
Grecian nose ; the other actors were not equal to her. In 
the third act, when she was declaiming the grand tirade, her 
husband wept, and when it was over he could not resist 
going up and kissing her before twenty persons, who all 
stared at him. The costumes of the other actors were rather 
in Carnival style. That Mme. de Latour * of whom I spoke 
to you recites well. The Aehille was a ridiculous person 
who caricatured Lafond with a snuff-colored coat, and a yel- 
low shawl worn as drapery over his trousers. The Eriphile 
was indifferent. M. de Bernis, son-in-law to the Princess de 
Rohan, was Agamemnon ; he is accustomed to recitation, 
but he is stout, wore a frock-coat and boots, with the in- 
evitable shawl over his shoulders, and held the play-book in 
his hand, for he did not know his part. All this took place 
in bright sunshine at three o'clock ; but toward half past four 
the dinner-bells began to ring, and the family of the Atrides 
and ourselves retired to dinner. We are bidden to expect 
proverbs this evening. As talking is not required on these 
occasions, they suit me perfectly. I can hear the prepara- 
tions and rehearsals going on, and the discussion of the cos- 
tumes ; meanwhile I gargle my throat, I give Albert his 
writing lesson, I write to you, and this evening at eight I 
shall go to witness the performances. 

* Mme. de Latour was by birth Mile. Buffaut, and aunt to Mme. Regnault. 



318 LETTERS OF MADAME DE R^MUSAT. 



CXCYI. 

CHARLES DE EEMUSAT TO MME. DE KEMUSAT, AT VIGHY. 

Paris, Tuesday, July 24., 1813. 

I RECEIVED your letter, my dear mother, with, as much 
pleasure as surprise to find you so zealous in the fulfillment 
of your epistolary duties. Your letter is a volume^ and that 
is what I like. I do not think Mme. de Grasse quite under- 
stood me.* First of all, if I said you were too clever for me, I 
did not mean that your conversation was too lofty or too se- 
rious ; but only that when one converses with you, and that 
you really take a share in the conversation, you are so bril- 
liant and so original in your views that it is difiicult, for me 
especially, to follow and to answer you. 

Secondly, I want your advice for my compositions during 
these holidays. I have analyzed in vain; I know not 
whether to employ the synthetical or other method. The 
subject is Nature, mankind in general, persons in particular, 
the conventions and relations of society, and literary works. 
As I do not want to produce a folio volume, the task is rather 
puzzling. My idea is this. I purpose to make, at once, 
notes, more or less confused and entangled, of my present 
opinions and feelings, which date only from yesterday, and 
which may change by to-morrow. I purpose to relate all the 
variations they have undergone, whether from circumstance 
or from the passage of time, until the present moment, and 
thus to prepare materials for a serious work, which I shall 
write several years hence. It will be a history, or a novel, 
as you please, which might be entitled, "Metamorphoses, or 
Memoirs of a Young Man, belonging to what is called High 
Society, from his Birth until the Age of Twenty." You un- 
derstand that it would contain neither adventures nor events ; 

* This refers to a letter from Mme. de Remusat to her son, which will be 
found in the preface to the " Memoirs." 



FROM CHARLES. 319 

for, even had I experienced any, tliey would have to be sup- 
pressed. It is a man's ordinary life, especially his moral life, 
that I should try to depict, and the various ways in which he 
is influenced by his family, his friends, his position, and 
every outward circumstance. What do you say to the verb 
to infiuence f It is in fashion, but certainly does not belong 
to the time of Louis XIY. To return. I should, therefore, 
begin to make my notes at once, for in three or four years' 
time, not only will my ideas be changed, not only shall I not 
think then as I think now, but I shall not even be able to 
imagine that I have ever thought differently to what I shall 
then think. I already find it difficult to persuade myself that 
I have not always been what I am now in this month of July, 
1813, and to recollect my thoughts during the years that are 
past. The question is, therefore, pressing, for the older I 
grow, the more do these recollections fade and the footsteps 
of childhood disappear. What think you of my project ? I 
fancy you will like it. M. Fercoc is continually exhorting 
us to write a treatise on imagination. I obey him literally, 
for is not a history of youth a treatise on imagination ? 

I am certain that at this moment you are saying to your- 
self, " How lucky he is ! What a lot of paper he will have 
to cover ! " You would like to be sixteen and to do as much. 
But listen : write the memoirs of a mother ; give an account 
of the manner in which, as years pass by, her feelings toward 
her son and her feelings concerning him become altered. 
The subject is, perhaps, less fertile than mine. ISTever mind ; 
we shall be working at the same time, but shall tell each 
other nothing. While I shall be describing a son of fifteen, 
you will be describing a mother of thirty ; and afterward we 
will compare notes. As we shall necessarily have to treat of 
the same subject, it will be amusing to discover the different 
points of view from which the same thing will have presented 
itself to each of us. Think this over, and give me a categori- 
cal answer. 

To come now to the histroical part of my letter. Last 



320 LETTERS OF MADAME DE R:eMUSAT. 

Friday I wrote a Greek composition. I showed it both to 
M. de Wailly and to M. Leclerc. Neither of them has men- 
tioned it to me since. Yesterday, from eight in the morning 
until half past seven in the evening, I was on a straw chair, 
trying to mount Pegasus — that is, tiying to compose Latin 
verses. I wrote forty-eight, and, unfortunately, I can not 
call them short and good. We are doing nothing here, abso- 
lutely nothing. M. Pottier,* not knowing how to fill up 
the time, spends it in reading " Yert-Yert " to us, which is 
not a very laborious occupation. We begin our competition 
of themes to-morrow, and philosophy on Friday. After that 
the concours is over. 

Pray return as soon as possible to relieve papa from his 
celibacy, for, frankly, whatever you may say, the society of 
Mme. de Grasse is not enough for him. My aunt's hus- 
band has been here for the last few days ; he arrived last 
Thursday, and ought to have started on Monday — that is, 
yesterday. He is really very well, and I hope that the 
waters will be equally beneficial to you. ' We dined with my 
aunt on Sunday, with M. Pasquier, Mme. Cheron, and Mme. 
de Grasse, and there was plenty of talk. We began dinner 
with a discussion, which has lately come into fashion. It is 
concerning Mile. Gosselin, who, so far, has no one against 
her but my aunt and GeofEroy. In vain did the dear baron, 
in vain did my uncle, make the finest speeches. My aunt 
was adamant, and Mme. Gardel can find no more obstinate 
champion, f E'or was this all; Mme. Cheron, who appa- 
rently is no great judge of dancing, and who was inwardly 
groaning at not having said a word since the beginning of din- 
ner — i. e., for three quarters of an hour — suddenly emerged 
from silence by a pompous panegyric on Mile. Leverd's ad- 
mirable and original acting in " Tartuffe" the evening before, 



* M. Pottier taught the second class. 

f Mile. Gosselin, a young dancer whom Geoifroy called desossee, was at that 
time greatly admired. But the classicists preferred Mme. Gardel. 



RELIEF FROM ALARM. 321 

and on her superiority over her enemy.* Oh, what an apple 
of discord ! My aunt exclaims ; my uncle echoes her, vow- 
ing he has never seen either one or the other. M. Pasquier 
begs and entreats that such a chord as this may not be struck, 
and pours out a glass of water for my aunt, who is chok- 
ing. In vain does my father wait for a moment of silence, 
in which to make them hear reason, while I hold my tongue 
and say to myself, " Analyze, analyze ! " But there was no 
analyzing it. Mme. Cheron misuses all her words, and piles 
up sophisms in order to prove the greatest of sophisms, viz., 
that she was right. However, that did not surprise me. 
Only imagine ! After " Tartaffe " she went to see two farces 
at the Yari^tes, and after that she is ready to criticise the 
actors of Moliere. Elmire submitted to the censor of " M. 
Dumollet'Mf So be it. Moreover, without this I should 
not have known how to finish my letter, and you must ac- 
cept it, such as it is. Adieu. 



CXCYII. 



TO M. DE EEMUSAT, AT PARIS. 

Vichy, July 27, 1813. 
1 AM breathing again, for I think my letters of yesterday 
must have relieved you all, and that, after reading them, the 
husband and the wife will settle down to their occupations 
again, saying to themselves, " The poor darling has suffered 
a good deal, but it is over now! She is well again, and has 
gathered up her courage. Time is getting on ; let us be pa- 
tient, and to our work again," And every one sits down, 
while Mme. de Grasse says : " Those waters are too strong for 

* The enemy was Mile. Mars, whose acting was at that time always com- 
pared with, and not always preferr(Jd to, that of Mile, Leverd. 
f A vaudeville by Desangiers and Gentil, 



322 LETTERS OF MADAME DE R^MUSAT. 

her ; I knew they would be." " But you hear what her doctor 
says ; he believes they will do her good." " Ah ! that is be- 
cause he wants her to stay at Yichy." " Ah ! that is like you, 
always thinking there is some motive besides the ostensible 
one." " Mon Dieu ! am I wrong in that ? Men are so deceit- 
ful ! Why should not that man tell lies as well as another ? " 
" You mean, why should he not be mistaken as well as an- 
other ? " " Bah ! it is the same thing." " No, to deceive 
or to be deceived are different things." " Well, but did I 
not say those waters would do her harm ? " Will not the con- 
versation run after this fashion on Tuesday, amid long inter- 
vals of silence ? 

As for me, I passed a quiet day yesterday. I remained in 
my own room all the morning ; it was positively raining in 
torrents. I worked ; I wrote -to Mme. de Yintimille ; I read 
a little of La Bruyere. At four o'clock I paid a short visit to 
the Count and Countess, who had sent me an invitation to din- 
ner, which I had declined on the score of health. We talked 
on several subjects, the musician * among others, the Count 
telling me he thought the business was settled. I told him I 
was " glad to hear it ; that he and his family were deserving 
of interest ; that as for him, he would have to pay dearly for 
his great blunders ; that you had given him the means of an 
honorable livelihood ; that the desire of gaining more, and of 
providing for extravagant expenditure, had brought him into 
difficulties and occasioned behavior that any one else in your 
place would have found it hard to overlook, but that we 
should forget such things in presence of misfortune, and that 
this is what you had done." The Count replied " that he 
knew nothing about the rights of the business ; that Erard 
had asked him to befriend his son-in-law, and that, therefore, 
he had done so ; that his opponents seemed to be rather ques- 
tionable people ; that the poor fellow must have a chance 
given him of making use of his talents," etc. After this we 

* Spontini. 



MME, DUGAYLA'S. 323 

talked of operas, poems, verses, tlie Institute, etc. For the 
most part we did not agree, but I let everything slide and 
took nothing up seriously. Every now and then I paid some 
little compliment. It was a delightful conversation, without 
effusion or simplicity : each of us saw what the other was 
going to say, and fell in with it — at least, that was the case 
with me. Afterward I returned to my little hermitage, and 
at eight o'clock I went to Mme. Ducayla's, where everybody 
assembled — the Countess and the other members of society, 
Guelphs and Ghibellines. There was music and work ; I 
played a game of whist. The evening went oif well, and at 
eight o'clock the convent was shut up. 

But, oh ! what beautiful bits I read of Massillon ! How 
delighted I am with La Bruyere ! How full of thought and 
knowledge are all the writers of those times ! How much we 
may learn from them by reading them slowly and with atten- 
tion ! We may positively converse with them ; we question 
them, and they give admirable answers ; in their turn they 
ask a question, but we can not reply as well as they, espe- 
cially when Bourdaloue or Massillon is the questioner. We 
stand before them with downcast eyes, begging for time, 
which they do not seem much inclined to grant. 

Mme. Devaines has written to M. de Jaucourt,* inform- 
ing him of her son's marriage ; he is delighted, I assure you. 
I wrote to both mother and son, and also to Countess Kum- 
f ord, yesterday. I am an admirably punctual correspondent, 
and keep my turn with a great many persons. Between our- 
selves, I do not always find it very amusing ; but, after all, 
one must answer letters and escape a scolding. I have re- 
ceived a somewhat melancholy letter from Corvisart. Try 
and show him some mark of interest. He might be flattered 
by your calling on him. Charles amuses me very much ; his 
letters are bright and gay, and sometimes tender ; but so soon 

* M. Devaines had just married Mme. Dillon (Henrietta de Meulan), sister to 
the first Mme. Guizot. 



324 LETTERS OF MADAME DE RMUSAT. 

as lie perceives that, he makes a joke so as to cut sentiment 
short. He ended a letter the other day by saying that "he 
loved me, and kissed me as — " then he hesitated and resumed, 
"as a mother kisses her child," saying he could not im- 
prove upon that. He assures me I shall always be his best 
friend ; in fact, he wants to turn my head altogether, and I 
am afraid he will succeed. 



THE END. 



WORKS 01 EREICH HISTORY. 



Memoirs of Madame de Remusat. 

1802-1808. Edited by her Grandson, Paul de Remusat, Senator. In 3 vols., 
paper covers, 8vo, $1.50. Also, in 1 vol., cloth, 12mo, $2.00. 

" Notwithstanding? tlie enormous library of works relating to Napoleon, we know of 
none which cover precisely the ground of these Memoirs. Madame de Kemusat was not 
only lady-in-waiting to Josephine during the eventful years 1803-1808, but was her intimate 
friend and trusted confidant. Thus we get a view of the daily life of Bonaparte and his 
wife, and the terms on which they lived, not elsewhere to be found." — New Ym-k Mail. 

" These Memoirs are not only a repository of anecdotes and of portraits sketched from 
life by a keen-eyed, quick-witted woman ; some of the author's reflections on social and 
political questions are remarkable for weight and penetration."— iVew York Sun. 

Memoirs of Napoleon, 

His Court and Family. By the Duchess d'Abrantes. In 2 vols., 12mo, cloth, 

$3.00. 

The interest excited in the first Napoleon and his Court by the " Memoirs of Madame 
de Remusat " has induced the publishers to issae the famous " Memoirs of the Duchess 
d'Abrantes," which have hitherto appeared in a costly octavo edition, in a much cheaper 
form, and in style to correspond with the 12mo edition of De Remusat. This work will 
be likely now to be read with awakened interest, especially as it presents a much more 
favorable portrait of the great Corsican than that limned by Madame de Remusat. 

Tlie Frencti Revolutionary Epocii. 

Being a History of France fro:n the Beginning of the First French Revolution to 
the End of the Second Empire. By Henri Van Laun, author of " History 
of French Literature," etc. In 2 vols., 12mo. Cloth, $3.50. 

" As a history for readers who are not disposed to make an exhaustive study of the 
subject treated, the book impresses us as eminently good."— iVew York Evening Post. 

"This work throws a flood of light on the problems which are now perplexing the 
politicians and statesmen of Europe." — New York Daily Graphic. 

" This is a work for which there is no substitute at present in the English language. 
For American readers it may be said to have secured a temporary monopoly of a most 
interesting topic. Educated persons can scarcely afibrd to neglect it." — New York Sun. 

History of the Frencti Revolutiori. 

By Louis Adolphe Thiers. 4 vols., Svo. Half calf, $16.00. Cheap edition. 
2 vols., Svo. Cloth, $5.00; half calf, $10.00. 

l-iistory of France, 

From the Earliest Times to 1848. By Rev. James White, author of "Eighteen 
Christian Centuries." Svo, cloth, $8.00. 



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The Land of Gilead. 

With Excursions in the Lebanon. By Laurence Oliphant, With Illustrations 

and Maps. Crown 8vo, cloth. $2.00. 

"His journeys took him quite off the beaten tracks of tourists and arciiaeological ex- 
plorers ; "he got an ' inside view,' bo to call it, of native life and manners; he saw some- 
thing of the wandering Bedouins; and we know of no recent book on Palestine which is 
really so instructive, from which the reader can derive so large a fund of entertainment." 

—Eclectic Magazine. 

Anecdotal History of the British Parliament. 

From the Earliest Periods to the Present Time, with Notices of Eminent Parlia- 
mentary Men and Examples of their Oratory. Compiled by G. H. Jennings. 
Crown 8vo. Cloth, $2.50. 

" As pleasant a companion for the leisure hours of a studious and thoughtful man as any- 
thing in book-shape since Selden."— Xowrfon Telegraph. 

" It would be sheer affectation to deny the fascination exercised by the ' Anecdotal 
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Young Ireland. 

A Fragment of Irish History, 1840-1850. By the Hon. Sir Chakles Gatan Duf- 
FY, K. C. M. G. New cheap edition. 12mo, cloth, $1.50. 

"Young Ireland " is a memoir of the few stormy years in Ireland during which O'Con- 
nellwas tried and convicted of conspiracy, and Smith O'Brien tried and convicted of 
high treason, written by one who was in succession the fellow prisoner of each of them, 
and has seen since a remarkable career in Australia. The book is founded on the private 
correspondence of the leading men of the period, and throws a searching light on the 
Irish politics of the present day. 

" Never did any book appear so opportunely. But, whenever it had appeared, with so 
lucid and graphic a style, so large a knowledge of the Irish question, and so statesmanlike 
a grasp of its conditions, it would have been a book of great mark."— iowc^on Spectator. 

A History of Greece. 

From the Earliest Times to the Present. By T. T. Timatenis. With Maps and 

Illustrations. 2 vols., 12mo, cloth, $3.50. 

" While I cheerfully acknowledtre my obligations to Gibbon and Grote— the most emi- 
nent of modern historians — a careful study of the Greek writers has led me to differ from 
them on many important matters. The peculiar feature of the present work, therefore, is 
that it is founded on Hellenic sources. I have not hesitated to follow the Father of His- 
tory in portraying_ the heroism and the sacrifices of tlie Hellenes in their first war for in- 
dependence, nor, in delineating the character of that epoch, to form my judgment largely 
from the records he has left \is.''— Extract from Preface. 

History of Herodotus. 

An English Version, edited, with Copious Notes and Appendices, by George 
Rawlinson, M. a. With Maps and Illustrations. New edition. In four 
volumes, 8vo. Vellum cloth, $8.00. 



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New Volumes of " The International Scientific Seizes.' 



Sight 



An Exposition of the Principles of Monocular and Binocular Vision. By Joseph 

Le Conte, LL. D., author of " Elements of Geology," " Religion and 

Science," and Professor of Geology and Natural History in the University 

of CaUfornia. With numerous Illustrations. 12mo, cloth, $1.50. 

" It is pleasant to find an American book which can rank with the very hest of foreign 
works on this subject. Professor Le Conte has long been known as an original investiga- 
tor in this department ; all that he gives us is treated with a master-hand."— 7%e Nation. 

Animal Life, 

As affected by the Natural Conditions of Existence. By Karl Semper, Professor 
of the University of Wiirzburg. With 2 Maps and 106 Woodcuts, and 
Index. 12mo, cloth, $2.00. 

" It appears to me that, of all the properties of the animal organism, Variability is that 
which may first and most easily be traced by exact investigation to its efficient causes ; 
and as it is beyond a doubt the subject around which, at the present moment, the strife of 
opinions is most violent, it is that which will be most likely to repay the trots blc of closer 
research. I have endeavored to facilitate this task so far as in me lies."— i^rcwj the Preface. 

"■ This is in many respects one of the most interesting contributions to zoSlogical 
literature which has appeared for some time."— iVafwre. 

77?^ Atomic Tiieory. 

By Ad. Wurtz, Membre de I'lnstitut ; Doyen Honoraire de la Faculte de Medecine ; 

Professeur h, la Faculte des Sciences de Paris. Translated by E. Clemin- 

SHAW, M. A., F. C. S., F. I. C, Assistant Master at Sherborne School. 12mo, 

cloth, $1.50. 

" There was need for a book like this, which discusses the atomic theory both in its his- 
toric evolution and in its present form. And perhaps no man of this age could have been 
selected so able to perform the task in a masterly way as the illustrious French chemist, 
Adolph Wurtz. It is impossible to convey to the reader, in a notice like this, any adequate 
idea of the scope, lucid instructiveuess, and scientific interest of Professor Wurtz's book. 
The modern problems of chemistry, which are commonly so obscure from imperfect ex- 
position, are here made wonderfully clear and attractive.'" — The Popular Science MontMy. 



Tiie Power of l^ovement m Plants. 

By Charles Darwin, LL. D., F. R. S., assisted by Francis Darwin. With Illustra- 
tions. 12mo, cloth, $2.00. 

"Mr. Darwin's latest study of plant-life shows no abatement of his power of work or 
his habits of fresh and original observation. We have learned to expect from him at inter- 
vals, never much prolonged, the results of special research in some by-path or other sub- 
ordinated to the main course of the biological system associated with his name ; and It has 
been an unfailing source of interest to see the central ideas of the evolution and the con- 
tinuity of life developed in detail through a series of special treatises, each wellnigh ex- 
haustive of the materials available for its %u\)]6cX."—Satwday Remew. 



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The New Nobility. 

A Story of Europe and America. By J. W. Forney, author of " Anecdotes of 

Public Men," etc. 12mo. Cloth, $1.50. 

" Colonel Forney has written an exceedingly clever and entertaining story. The reader 
will have little difficulty in surmising the import of its title : he will hardly need to be told 
that the members of the new nobility are those able, energetic, dauntless, and self-made 
men who are the strength and glory of this Bepublic. The dialogue is particularly bright ; 
the descriptions of European life are vivid and truthful, attesting the extensive acquain- 
tance of the author with society and ietters.'" —Fhiladelphm North American. 

Lady Clara de Vere. 

A Novelette. From the German of Friedrich Spielhagen. Appletons' "New 

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All Alone. 

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Mary Marston. 

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Great Singers. 

Second Series. Malibran — Schroder-Devrient — Grisi — Viaedot — Peesiani — 
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Luke, Gospel History, and Acts of the Apostles, 

With Notes, Critical, Explanatory, and Practical. Designed for both Pastors and 
People. By the Rev. Henry Cowles, D. D. 12mo. Cloth, $2.00. 

Longer Epistles of Paul : 

Viz., Romans, Corinthians I and II. With Notes, Critical, Explanatory, and 
Practical. Designed for both Pastors and People. By the Rev. Henry 
Cowles, D.D. 12ino. Cloth, $2.00. 

Divine Guidance : 

Memorial of Allen W. Dodge. By Gail Hamilton. With Portrait. 12mo. 
Cloth, $1.50. 

The Art of School Management. 

A Text-book for Normal Schools and Normal Institutes, and a Reference-book 
for Teachers, School-officers, and Parents. By J. Baldwin, President of 
the State Normal School, Kirksville, Missouri. 12mo. Cloth, $1.50. 

The Social History of Flatbush, 

And Manners and Customs of the Dutch Settlers in Kings County. By Gertrude 

Lefferts Vanderbilt. 12mo. Cloth, $2.00. 

" A book certain to be relisbed by the local antiquarian, and perhaps scarcely less 
interesting to the general reader in its plain, modest way than is the 'Knickerbocker 
History of New York,' has been lately published by the Appletons under the title of ' The 
Social History of Flatbush,' by Gertrude Lefferts Vanderbilt. To this attempt to portray 
the traditions, customs, and manners of the Dutch settlers on Long Island during the 
period preceding the Revolutionary War, the author has given a great deal of industry, 
and has evinced a commendable discretion and literary faculty iu the selection and arrange- 
ment of her materials. She has made a substantial contribution to our knowledge of the 
social and domestic life of a not unimportant element of our population, as it was charac- 
terized at an epoch when the process of fusion and assimilation was hardly more than 
begun. We may add that the task thus undertaken and creditably performed could not 
have been deferred much longer, for nearly every trace of Dutch descent in Kings County 
has now been swept away."— iVew rbrA Sun. 

The Vision of Nimroo : 

An Oriental Romance. By Charles De Kay, author of "Hesperus and other 

Poems." 12mo. Cloth, $1.50. 

" There is no half-heartedness about this young American poet. He goes at his subject 
with characteristic confidence. Perhaps the boldest venture, however, and which, for its 
Intrinsic value will attract most attention, is the story of the Yision of Abram at the Tarn 
of Kaf. This is nothing less than the sight in a Himalayan Valley of the evolution of 
species, the 'struggle for existence,' and the 'survival of the fittest,' as told by the most 
modem science. It is a powerful piece of writing, and strikes a clear note for the poetry of 
the future."— iVfiw York Herald. 



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WORKS 01 EI&LISH HISTOET. 



The Life of His Royal Higiiness t/ie Prince Consort. 

By Sir Theodore Martin, Fifth and concluding volume. 1 yoI., 12nio. Cloth, 
$2.00. Vols. I, II, III, and IV, at same price per volume. 

" The literature of England is richer by a book which will be read with profit by buc- 
ceeding generationa of her sons and daughters."— i?/acAwoocf. 

'• Sir Theodore Martin has completed his work, and completed it in a manner which 
has fairly entitled him to the honor conferred upon him on its conclusion. It is well done 
from beginning to end." — Spectator. 

A History of England 

In the Eighteenth Century. By William Edward Hartpole Lecky, author of 

" History of the Rise and Influence of the Spirit of Rationalism in Europe," 

"History of European Morals, from Augustus to Charlemagne," etc. 2 

vols., 12mo. Cloth, $5.00. 

"No more important book has appeared of late years than this history, uniting as it 
does so engrossing a subject with so vital an object. . . . We say, again, that Mr. Lecky 
has made his mark upon our time by his carelul and fascinating book."— iVisw York Times. 

History of England, 

From the Accession of James II. By Lord Macaulay. New and standard edi- 
tion. With Steel Portrait. 5 vols., 12mo. Cloth, extra, per set, $5.00. 

Ttie English Reformation : 

How it came about, and why we should uphold it. By Cunningham Geikie, D. D., 
author of " The Life and Words of Christ." With a Preface by the author 
for the American edition, 12mo. Cloth, $2.00. 

"Dr. Geikie's work sustains the reputation which his ' Life and Words' had given him 
as a clear historical writer. It is impossible to comprehend the conflicts for spiritual 
liberty of the present without tracing them back to their origin in the past ; and there is 
no single volume which will better enable us to do this than Dr. Geikie's ' History of the 
English Reformation.' ''—Neiv York Christian Union. 

" His groaping of facts is often masterly, his style is bold and incisive, and his sketches 
of eventful periods or eminent personages are vivid and graphic."— harper's New Monthly 
Magazine, 

Child's History of England. 

By Charles Dickens. Forming a volume of Chapman & Hall's Household Edi- 
tion of Charles Dickens's Works. With Illustrations. Paper cover, 75 
cents; cloth, $1.25. 



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The Life and Words of Christ 

By Cunningham Geikie, D. D. A new and cheap edition, printed from the same 

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1,258 pages. Cloth, $1.50. 

This is the only cheap edition of Geikie's Life of Chnst that contains the copious notes 
of the author, the marginal leferences, and an index. In its present form it is a marvel of 
cheapness. ^ 

'■ A work of the highest rank, breathing the spirit of true faith in Christ."— ■2?r. De- 
litzsch^ the Commentator. 

"A most valuable addition to sacred literature."—^. If. ZUtlejohn, B.D., Bishop 
of Long Island. 

"A great and noble work, rich in information, eloquent and scholarly in style, 
earnestly devout in feeling."— iincfwi Literary World. 

From Death into Life; 

Or, Twenty Years of My Ministry. By the Rev. TV. Haslam. With Illus- 
trations. 12mo. Cloth, $1.50. 

" The whole narrative is unique— in the ori<{in, methods, and results of a dispensation 
so extraordinary — and quite worthy the study of Christian ministers in all churches, 
liturgical or non-liturgical." — Lutheran Observer. 

Scotch Sermons, 1880. 

By Principal Caird — Rev. J. Cunningham, D. D., Rev. D. J. Ferguson, B. D., 
Professor Wm. Knight, LL. D., Rev. W. McIntosh, D. D., Rev. W. L. 
M'Parlan, Rev. Allan Menzies, B. D., Rev. T. Nicoll, Rev. T. Rain, M. A., 
Rev. A. Semple, B. D., Rev. J. Stevenson, Rev. Patrick Stevenson, Rev. 
R. H. Story, D. D. 12mo. Cloth, $1.25. 
This volume originated in the wish to gather together a few specimens of a style of 
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" By its publication a direct challenge has been given to the Church, which must 
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Fifteen Sermons, 

By William Rollin^on Whittingham, Fourth Bishop of Maryland. 1 vol., 
12mo. Cloth, $1.50. 
"The late Bishop of Maryland destroyed many of his sermons before his death. It 
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request of his friends, twelve have been chosen, and three already published, but now 
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The Old Testament in the Jewish Church : 

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Professor Smith, it will be remembered, was teacher of Hebrew and lecturer on He- 
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popular with the laity, influential members of which induced him to deliver at Edinburgh 
and Glasgow the course of lectures on the present state of Biblical criticism, which are 
now put m booli-form to reach a still larger circle of hearers. 

The Fathers of the Third Century. 

By the Rev. George A. Jackson. Second volume of the " Early Christian Lit- 
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Great Violinists and Pianists. 

By George T. Ferris. Appletons' " New Handy- Volume Series." 18mo. Paper, 
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"Great Violinists and Pianists" is the fifth volume of Mr. Ferris's Music Series, now 
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linists and Pianists." Price for the complete set, in cloth, $3.00; in paper, $1.50. 

Loul<is Laras : 

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For sale by all booksellers; or sent by mail, post-paid, on receipt of price. 

D. APPLETON & CO., Publishers, 

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AN ANECDOTAL HISTORY 

OF THE 

British Parliament, 

FROM THE 

Earliest Periods to the Present Time, 



NOTICES OF EMINENT PARLIAMENTARY MEN AND EXAMPLES OF 
THEIR ORATORY. 

COMPILED FROM AUTHENTIC SOURCES, 

By GEORGE HENRY JENNINGS. 



One volume, crown 8vo. 546 pages. - - Price, $3.50. 



CONTENTS : 

PART I.— Rise and Progress of Parliamentary Institutions. 

PART II.— Personal Anecdotes: Sir Thomas More to Marquis of Har- 

tingrton. 
PART III.— Miscellaneous. 

1. Elections. 2. Privilegre; Exclusion of Strang-ers; 

Publication of Debates. 3. Parliamentary Usages, etc. 

4. Varieties. 
APPENDIX.— (A) Lists of the Parliaments of England and of the United 
Eling'dom. 

(B) Speakers of the House of Commons. 

(C) Prime Ministers, Lord Chancellors, and Secretaries 

of State from 1715 to 1880. 



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lytical description, he brings together in anecdotal form the more striking facts in the 
history of Parliament and in the public lives of distinguished statesmen, arranging the 
whole in such away as to give a compendious view of the growth of constitutional liberty, 
and of the code of unwritten laws and customs that have been gradually evolved out of the 
chaos of Parliamentary usages, The opening section contains a concise account of the 
rise and progress of Parliamentary institutions ; then come the personal anecdotes of 
eminent Parliamentary men, with numerous examples of their oratory; and then comes 
a striljing array of miscellaneous anecdotes about elections, bribery, privilege, the publi- 
cation of debates, the exclusion of strangers, behavior in the House, and other matters of 
a similar character. Taken as a whole, the book furnishes a larger amount and variety 
of practically useful information about the British Parliament, its history, and its leading 
men, than anything of a popular character that has been written on the subject; and the 
reader will obtain from it an unexpectedly vivid and impressive idea of the life, the atmos- 
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Appletons' Journal. 

"As pleasant a companion for the leisure hours of a studious and thoughtful man as 
anything in book-shape since Selden." — London Telegraph. 

"Contains a great deal of information about our representative system in past and 
present times which it behooves all persons to 'know ." —London Daily News. 

" It would be sheer affectation to deny the fascination exercised by the ' Anecdotal His- 
tory of Parliament.' "'—Saturday Review. 

" The book teems with good things, for nowhere have more good things been said than 
in Parliament." — Scotsman. 



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A THOUSAND FLASHES 

OF 

French Wit, Wisdom, and Wickedness. 

COLLECTED AND TRANSLATED 

By J. De FINOD. 



One volume, 16mo. Cloth. Price, $1.00. 



This "Work consists of a collection of wise and brilliant sayings from French 
writers, making a rich and piquant book of fresh quotations. . 



" It is the quintessence of rich minds and hearts." — N. Y. Evening Telegram. 

" A bright and spicy collection. Here we have the shrewdest sayings, in brief, 
of Yoltaire, Rousseau, La Rochefoucauld, Mme. de Sevigne, Mme. de Stael, De 
Musset, Victor Hugo, Sainte-Beuve, Balzac, George Sand, Alexandre Dumas, Sou- 
vestre, E. de Girardin, Beranger, Napoleon, and many others less known." — New 
York Era. 

" Those gems from the French are culled from all authors, and are of all de- 
grees of wit, wisdom, and wickedness." — New York Commercial Advertiser. 

" The wickedness is much the larger and the more interesting part of the 
book." — New York Evening Express. 

"A very entertaining volume for a circle of friends who are short of topics of 
conversation." — Hartford Courant. 

" The volume contains the pith of the bright sayings to be found in the works 
of the best writers of France. It is an admirable epitome of the philosophy it 
represents." — Boston Gazette. 

" The book is a charming one to take up for an idle moment, and is just the 
thing to read to a mixed company of ladies and gentlemen." — Boston Courier. 

" It is relishable and piquant to the highest degree." — JPltt&burg Telegraph. 

" A very attractive little volume. These selections are what the title indi- 
cates, 'flashes.' Three hundred or more authors are represented, and every page 
of the book has something that is bright, piquant, and suggestive." — Albany 
Evening Times. 

" A well-chosen and well-arranged collection of those sharp and epigrammatic 
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